The D1 Q will be a quad core device, hence that Q designator in its name. It is expected to be the first Diamond smartphone, and we don’t really know anything about the hardware at this point. We’re hoping the new MediaPad has better software than its 7-inch sibling we are familiar with. The hardware was never an issue with that tablet; it was the software that bothered us.

We don’t have hardware details on the 10-inch MediaPad right now. There is no indication that it will be a Diamond series device. Scuttlebutt says that there will be a pair of Diamond devices unveiled at MWC, so we are expecting at least one more major product announcement from Huawei at the show. Details are scant right now, but with Mobile World Congress only a few weeks away we don’t have long to wait.

[via Android Community]

The Huawei MediaPad features a 7-inch IPS multitouch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. The rear camera is capable of 4X zoom, AF, and 1080p Full HD video capture. The tablet also sports HDMI output and has a 4,100mAh battery for a six-hour battery life.

Although Huawei is set to launch MediaPads with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board, this MediaPad for AT&T will not. Instead, it will running Android 3.2 Honeycomb with the ICS update likely to come over-the-air sometime this first quarter of 2012. It’s not clear if AT&T will be releasing a more consumer-targeted version in addition to this enterprise offering.

[via PRNewswire]

AT&T‘s cluster of LTE devices was perhaps the biggest single launch of the show, with the carrier hoping to flood our attention with more than a half-dozen 4G handsets. There are some stand-out phones in among the torrent, however: the HTC Titan II, for instance, packs a whopping 16-megapixel camera, while Nokia‘s much-anticipated Lumia 900 brings polycarbonate unibody style to the US and marks the start of the Finn’s North American re-entry.

Otherwise there’s the Pantech Burst and Samsung Exhilarate, both attempting to drag LTE to the entry-level, with a $50 apiece price tag. Sony ditched the Ericsson name and passé hardware with the Xperia ion, toting a 720p HD display and sizable 12-megapixel camera; both it and its European HSPA+ Xperia S pack NFC and the promise of ICS in Q2.

Finally, Samsung‘s Galaxy Note gets a new, AT&T LTE version, offering a compelling – if perhaps tricky to pocket – smartphone/tablet hybrid with useful digital ink input and a beautiful 1280 x 800 display. It’s a phone we’ve coveted in Europe and we’re curious to see how it does in the US.

Verizon had fewer devices than AT&T, but some eagerly awaited ones nonetheless. Motorola brought the DROID 4 to the party, an LTE-toting QWERTY Android slider, along with the DROID RAZR MAXX. The latter answers a common complaint of the original DROID RAZR of last year, meagre battery life on LTE, throwing a huge 3,300 mAh battery at the phone while still measuring just 8.9mm thick. Those looking for superlative displays have the LG Spectrum to look forward to, another LTE device but offering a 1280 x 720 IPS panel with iPhone 4S-besting pixel density.

T-Mobile USA had a much quieter show than either of the big boys, perhaps still licking its wounds and pondering the future now the AT&T acquisition has been ditched. The carrier had just one new device to announce, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, supporting HSPA+ and – as the name suggests – being another iteration on the Korean company’s familiar Galaxy S II.

Then there are the outliers and oddities. Lenovo opened the show with its S2, headed to China first with an encrypted kernel to keep your data secure and malware-free, while ViewSonic attempted to bridge the work and home worlds with its dual-SIM ViewPhone 3. Beyond their core conceit it proved tough to work up much enthusiasm around either device.

Easier to like has been the Huawei Ascend P1 S and P1, two phones that take dieting very seriously. The “S” prefix device is a mere 6.68mm thick, with what looks to be Galaxy S II “inspired” styling helping it take – for the moment at least – the title of world’s thinnest smartphone. Perhaps more interesting, they both run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, still something of a rarity (all of the previously mentioned handsets are still using Gingerbread).

ASUS‘ Padphone – back in its 2012 redux – is a lot chunkier than the Huawei, certainly, but arguably more useful. Like the Ascend phones it’s now running Ice Cream Sandwich, but of course the Padphone also gets a tablet chassis in which it can be docked for big-screen browsing and multimedia playback. ASUS reckons it’ll hit shelves in the spring, though still isn’t talking pricing.

Finally Intel, a company that has been talking about entering the smartphone market for several years, but is only now looking like it’s building any sort of momentum. The freshly announced Atom Z2460 Medfield processor, along with deals with Motorola and Lenovo, should result in some actual handset launches by the end of the year, each running Android, with talk of tablets also making an eventual appearance.

Lenovo stopped by to demonstrate its Racer-A Atom reference design, an impressive 4.5-inch smartphone with a 1280 x 720 display, 8-megapixel camera, HSPA+ and a 1.6GHz dual-core processor. There may be a few tweaks to the aesthetics, but for the moment this is likely to be one of the devices Lenovo brings to market in the second half of this year. We’ll have to wait until then to find out whether Intel’s long-standing battery issues have been ironed out with Medfield.

Tempted by any of these smartphones? Or are you waiting for Mobile World Congress next month, to see what HTC and others have in store for 2012? Let us know in the comments!

So there’s two different tablets, one that’s not pictured because it’s not a brand new form factor and the color series which is pictured above. The color series, for one reason or another, comes with Android 3.2 out of the box. Those that already own a MediaPad will receive an over the air update to Ice Cream Sandwich inside the first quarter of 2012.

All of the MediaPads come with a lovely 1280 x 800 pixel display, that being 217 pixels per inch, they also having 1080p full HD video playback for awesome viewing of videos galore. These tablet also have a Qualcomm dual-core 1.2GHz processor and a battery that’ll last you a full six hours. Prepare yourself for powerful colors and high definition coolness soon!

Both new Ascend models were running the same version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and had the same bugs. It lagged at times, and you could really tell it wasn’t fit to ship quite yet. The P1 is very thin at 7.69mm and has a full-body plastic casing. It was no where near the build quality of the P LTE.

Other specs include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage, and a microSD slot capable of holding 64GB. It also has an 8MP rear camera and dual LED flash. No front facing camera included. And unlike the P LTE’s 2000mAh battery, this phone comes with a 1650mAh. For such a decently sized screen, a larger battery would have been expected.

This early in the game, it’s expected the OS would have these bugs. The main innovation here is expanding the screen size by leaving out the capacitive buttons (again, like the Galaxy Nexus). It has a plastic battery cover, but trimmed in rubber. It definitely makes the phone feel like it won’t slip out of your hand.

This version of the Ascend has LTE built in, but no word on which carrier it might be coming to. We know it won’t launch on Verizon, because CDMA bands are completely absent – so AT&T seems like the logical choice in the US. Detailed specifications include a 4.3″ qHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 960×540, 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8960 processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB onboard storage, and capable of handling a 64GB MicroSD card. It also sports 8MP rear and 1.3MP front facing cameras.

You’ll be in for a treat here with these two devices as while Huawei’s other devices here in the United States have been interesting, they’ve never had an undeniably strange interface as this. Sneak a peek at the video to understand what’s going on here, and check out the pictures to see how thick these devices are compared to one another and compared to the Galaxy S II from AT&T. NOTE in the video that I mistake the P1 (yellow back here, also pink back in photos below) for the P1 S, shown in this post with a lovely black back.

Also take a peek back at the announcement post to see the rest of the specifications on both of the devices. Also note that both of these devices have no prices and no release date as of yet, but we’ve confirmed with Huawei that we’re looking at a 2012 release date for the USA without a doubt.

Of course you can get the device in black, white, OR pink, but who are we kidding: you love the bubblegum! Actually the titles of the colors are metallic black, ceramic white, and cherry-blossom pink – lovely! They’re also noting that they’ve got another model that’s ever so slightly less awesome, this one being the Huawei Ascend P2, which boasts the same functionality yet has a slightly thicker frame at 7.69. Pay money for less fatness!

On the back of either model you’ve got an 8 megapixel BSI camera and the front has a 1.3 megapixel HD camera, the front able to record 720p video, the back at 1080p. Both models will be launched with quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and pentaband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA for connectivity and will have 1GB of RAM with 4GB of ROM. We can expect to see these models around the world in the second quarter of 2012.

Also in case you were wondering, yes, these devices are running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box.

[via The Unwired]

The complete specs rundown and official release can be found here but I’ve also got all the details for you. The Honor takes things up a notch from previously released Huawei (pronounced Wha-whey) products and shows that they do in fact have some awesome hardware and great performance to offer the mid and high-end smartphone buyer in this crowded Android market.

Hardware

The hardware and general feel of this device is a definite step up from what we’ve seen thus far from Huawei. They’ve provided a bright and crisp 4.0″ 480 x 854 resolution display on a thin and not so wide chassis that comes in around 10.8mm thick. Covered in Corning Gorilla Glass it will also hold up to daily abuse. The good stuff comes with the innards and the camera though.

Hauwei’s equipped this smartphone with a Qualcomm 1.4 GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM (only downfall) and 4GB of internal storage. With micro-SD and micro-USB ports we should be fine with adding additional storage. The good news doesn’t end here either. The Honor has an awesome 8.0 megapixel camera on the rear and a much better than most 2 megapixel front camera for video chat. All of this is powered by Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread and a huge 1930 mAh battery under the hood.

For a device rocking a 4″ display the entire phone is small and pleasant to hold. Being average in size compared to most 4″ offerings Huawei decided on a thinner and longer screen. The device being so thin actually gives it a very small footprint and makes it seem much smaller than other phones I’ve recently held. I like this approach and makes it unique but at the same time the thin design made the on-screen keyboard slightly cramped.

The hardware is some of the best I’ve seen from Huawei and if I had to gauge it I’d say it fits neatly between the superior hardware of HTC and the lightweight plastic of Samsung. The back and battery cover is a thick glossy plastic that feels both lightweight and durable giving it an overall favorable build quality. The call and speaker volume was exceptionally clear and loud too.

Software

Powered by Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread any past experience with Android users will feel at home. Other than a few visual changes with the home screen, launcher, and a few menu’s the entire UI is the same. Similar to Samsung’s approach they’ve made a few things better while not tackling the entire OS like HTC does with their Sense UI. We do have a custom home launcher that makes the icons and general scrolling through screens and applications different than we’re used to but nothing overly crazy. Performance here was great.

We have a Ice Cream Sandwich style unlock screen and while our unit was running pre-production software the entire build seemed very stable and extremely smooth and fluid. The writing on the lockscreen should be ignored in the video. As far as bloatware apps we have TouchPal Keyboard (that helped on the thin screen), Security Guard, App Installer for third party apps, and Documents to go. Much less than we’ve seen from others. The video demonstration below will go over the few small changes to the OS including the launcher and their custom multitask/task manager they’ve included.

Performance

From the video above you can clearly see there is no slowdown or lag present with the Honor. In a world of dual-core smartphones this 1.4 GHz single-core device is the highest end of what we now call a mid-range device — and the performance backs it up. In terms of benchmarks, because we love benchmarks, the Huawei Honor came in quite average although for a stock single-core system the results were higher than expected.

Scoring well over 2600 in 3 different Quadrant Advanced tests that was more than enough for me. I’ve seen multiple older dual-core smartphones score lower (think Motorola Photon, Droid X2). We also ran Vellamo for good measure and its result has me questioning its validity. Beating every single and dual-core smartphone or tablet available but one. This was quite a concern but I’ll just share the results and conclude in saying performance was excellent from gaming to web browsing so take these results as you will.

Camera & Battery Life

The battery life has been amazing thus far, putting the Honor up near the top of my list. Having a single-core processor and no overly huge screen the 1930 mAh battery kept this phone running well throughout a single days use. If you want a phone that wont require being attached to a power outlet or car charger this would be a decent place to start.

The Huawei Honor packs an 8 megapixel HDR capable camera on the rear with LED flash and for this phone being a cheaper and contract-free smartphone I was extremely pleased with its performance. Most budget devices supply users with a crap camera but that isn’t the case here. Its shutter speed puts even the DROID Bionic to shame. Check out this sample photo here with even more in the full gallery below.

Wrap-Up

Huawei might not be as popular or widely celebrated as the HTC’s and Samsung’s in the mobile world, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be. If Huawei continues to put out great hardware like this here phone and the award winning Huawei Vision I see no reason to think otherwise. The Huawei Honor is launching in parts of Asia this month and is said to be coming to Cricket Wireless stateside as the Glory fully unlocked and contract free for $299. This is bringing high-end to the contract free budget smartphone market.

Bloomberg reports that the US Commerce Department has asked for details on what foreign hardware and software has been installed on telecommunications networks. The demand for data also asks the telecos for any details on unauthorized electronic hardware discovered and any devices discovered in networks that can duplicate or redirect data.

The concern is that with the growing number of hardware and software exports that are being imported to the US the Chinese government may be using the exports to integrate spying capacity on the US. The survey seeking the details went out to dozens of telecommunications firms according to Bloomberg, including some firms not based in the US according to a source. Any of the companies contacted that refused to cooperate could face serious criminal prosecution under the Defense Protection Act of 1950. Specifically the Chinese firm Huawei is names as having close ties to the Chinese government.

“This is beyond vague suspicions. Congress is now looking at this as well, and they’re doing so based on very specific material provided them in a classified setting [by the NSA],” Richard Falkenrath, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Cyberconflict and Cybersecurity Initiative.

[via Bloomberg]

To do that, Huawei will focus its new smartphones more closely on the individual markets they’re expected to sell in. That will include three new “design centers”, the first in the UK, to create devices suited to the European consumer. The initial range will be “more vanilla” says studio lead Mark Mitchinson, but “going forward we will be developing products that are much more advanced in their look and feel.”

The company follows HTC in hoping to develop its own brand and move out of the shadow of ODM deals with carriers and other brands. Huawei is already the second largest supplier of telecoms and network equipment in the world, but its brand recognition among consumers is minimal. The company actually produces phones and tablets for multiple well-known carriers, including the T-Mobile Springboard we reviewed earlier.

Negotiations with Microsoft and carte blanch to use Android without the fear of the other company hampering momentum with lawsuits is another stage in that expansion process. Microsoft declined to comment on “confidential patent licensing discussions” but Xu suggested that other companies less inclined to settle deals and – like Apple – favoring the courtroom could find themselves in hot water. “We have more than 65,000 patents” the marketing chief pointed out, “enough instruments to protect our interests.”

To get started we have a short and sweet hands-on unboxing video of the Springboard for everyone to experience so you have an understanding of this new tab. Then we’ll get into the hardware, software, and that pretty 7″ HD display all wrapped in aluminum.

T-Mobile Springboard hands-on video

Hardware

The actual hardware was a big surprise for me with the Springboard given the low priced nature of this tablet, that and Huawei has been a more budget friendly device company thus far. The Springboard is highly impressive with both the looks, and the overall feel. It’s almost as if they took some clues from the iPhone 4 and the HTC Flyer tablet and rolled them into one, but I really like it. One thing worth noting is the display is extremely sharp and clear. The 1280 x 800 HD resolution on the smaller tablet really looks great, although the colors weren’t as good as I’ve come to expect from what we’ve seen lately with Samsung and others.

Now lets break down the hardware. The Springboard is one of the first 7″ tablets to offer the full 1280 x 800 HD resolution of larger devices. All recent smaller tablets have been offered with a 1024 x 600 resolution. What that gives us is a small and portable tablet with an exceptional viewing experience. So, we have that 7″ HD display — powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 768MB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a pair of cameras. 5 megapixels around back and 1.3 on the front — all pushed by T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ network.

One benefit is we have a removable back with micro-SD support for an option 32GB of expanded storage, the T-Mobile 4G SIM card, and a 4,100 mAh battery. The battery is not actually assessable or removable but the large size makes battery life quite great.

Now for that iPhone 4 comment I made above. The entire device is housed in a lightweight and extremely durable brushed aluminum and the top has a nice squared design but it looks a bit too similar to the iPhone if you ask me, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The top, or left side when holding in landscape mode features the 3.5mm headphone jack and two stereo speaker grills.

The Springboard feels excellent in the hands and during usage. It is small, thin, and lightweight coming in at .41″ thin and weighing only 14 oz. The entire design is very, very sturdy and like I said above I was really impressed. The Springboard tablet has a nice and premium feel in the hands, something not all lower priced tablets can offer.

Around to the side we have the power button and the volume up/down rocker. Then neatly on bottom is the micro-USB port for syncing, micro-HDMI for outputting video and pictures, and the power charging port.

Software

Powered by Android 3.2 Honeycomb the experience is very familiar and everyone should know plenty about Honeycomb already. Sadly we don’t have Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but I expect that will come at some point in this tablets bright future. We do have a decent set of bundled applications and a few noteworthy ones are BlockBuster and Netflix, I think T-Mobile expects us to be streaming plenty of content over this bad boy, so enjoy it.

Shown in the gallery below are a few of the pre-installed applications, plus how Blockbuster looks on the awesome 7″ display. The Netflix experience still needs work, but that is their fault and not the Springboards. Out of the box we have Accuweather for tablets, Blio e-reader, Blockbuster, File Manager, Lets Golf 2, NOVA 2 HD, Netflix, Lookout Mobile Security, Qello and a few other media viewers and then the usual suite of T-Mobile apps like Qik and TmoTV. One missing feature and app was Google Movies. It’s not an option on the market and was no where to be found. Whether this was removed in favor of BlockBuster or Netflix remains to be seen but we’ve reached out to T-Mobile and will update when we hear anything. For now you wont be renting any movies from the Android Market.

Android 3.2 Honeycomb has all the recent improvements Google has made to the tablet OS and so far I’ve had a pretty smooth and fluid experience with the Springboard. Although adding widgets to homescreens had some lag I’ve not seen in other tablets, that is the only issue I’ve encountered — that and some apps don’t seem to work quite right with the 7″ display, including the pre-installed app Qello.

Benchmarks and Speedtest

What review would be complete without a few benchmarks and speedtests. The 4G HSPA+ from T-Mobile performs pretty decent in this budget tablet and I’m averaging around 4-6 Mbps download speeds and 1 Mbps uploads. Not LTE fast, but fast enough to blaze through app updates.

Benchmarks weren’t extremely impressive and with Quadrant we score a decent 1950. The 7″ Acer Iconia A100 with the slower clocked Tegra 2 scores well over 2000 compared to the faster 1.2 GHz chip in this Springboard, but the lower 768MB of RAM could also play a role here too.

Benchmarks are only a small part of the overall user experience and day to day usage I had zero slowdowns and felt everything was snappy, quick, and performed great. Gaming was also perfect on the HD display and the dual-core processor keeps things sharp. Football Kicks (seen in screenshots) is my new favorite game and works beautifully on the Springboard.

Camera

We have a 5 megapixel camera around back with no LED flash, and 1.3 front for video chat. The camera was average at best compared to similarly spec’d smartphones but overall the quality was about what you’d expect on a budget tablet. Enough for that quick photo if needed, but I’d rather use Android smartphone if I had the option. Here are a few camera samples.

Battery Life

I’ve been enjoying this tablet for a little while now and while testing the battery over both 4G and Wi-Fi I used the tablet off and on for almost 3 days on the 4,100 mAh battery. Obviously continuous usage will be much lower but the occasional game on the couch, web browsing and quick email it lasted almost 3 days and died overnight before I could capture a screenshot. I’ll be sure to update shortly with a screenshot so you’ll have a better idea what to expect.

Wrap-Up

I’ve had plenty of time to toy around with this tablet and so far I’m pretty confident that most users will appreciate what it has to offer. If a larger 10″ tablet isn’t ideal or portable enough for you, but you need the 4G data connectivity — consider the T-Mobile Springboard. With a small and portable 7″ form factor that also manages to pack plenty of punch with a dual-core processor you wont be disappointed. Compared to other 7″ tablets on the market this is by far one of the best choices. At least until the Kindle Fire or Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus arrives. We’ll be reviewing both of those in the next few weeks and will be sure to compare them so you can all get a better idea of what to expect. I’m not sure who came up with the name Springboard, and the fact that it is launching now it’s almost winter instead of in the spring seems a little funny if you ask me.

The T-Mobile Springboard Tablet will be available at T-Mobile.com starting November 16th for a $179 (after $50 mail in rebate) down payment, a 2-year service agreement, and apparently some monthly payments. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below and I’ll try my best to answer them. In the mean time enjoy this one last picture (a real springboard), then the full gallery below.

There’s also a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls, an SD card slot for up to 32GB cards, and GPS for navigation – either via Google Maps or T-Mobile’s TeleNav GPS Navigator subscription service. Preloaded are BLOCKBUSTER on Demand, Netflix and T-Mobile TV, while the HSPA+ supports up to 14.4Mbps, network depending.

As for the Samsung, that’s the 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 Galaxy Tab 10.1 we know already, running a dual-core 1GHz processor and offering a 3-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel front camera and now HSPA+ for mobile connectivity. Obviously there’s all the usual Android Honeycomb apps and access to the Android Market too.

Both slates are expected to go on sale in time for the holidays; pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The Huawei MediaPad features a 7-inch IPS WVGA 1280x 800 pixel resolution display and runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. It sports a 1.3-megpixel front-facing camera, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and HD video capture, and it comes with Flash 10.3 support and 16GB internal storage, expandable with microSD card slot.

What’s interesting is that there’s a possibility that the Huawei tablet’s price could be competitive with the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire. That means you’d get the added hardware components like dual cameras that the Kindle Fire is missing on a similar 7-inch form factor at the same $199 price tag. But for the Huawei tablet, that price will require a new two-year data contract.

[via TmoNews]

The Huawei-Discovery Expedition phone will not only be able to take on all the elements, but will also include some other features that will come in handy for traveling and outdoor activities. Those include GPS, flashlight, compass, and G-sensor. Facebook and Twitter is also integrated in the phone to allow you to easily connect and share with friends while on your journey.

The rubberized exterior is black and bright orange and the two-inch 320×240 display is covered by Gorilla Glass. It also has a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera and lets you browse the using Opera Mini. The phone is expected to launch globally sometime later this year and you can bet it will be heavily promoted via all of Discovery’s media properties.

Up front there’s a 2-megapixel camera, while inside you get 512MB of RAM and 4GB of ROM. A microSD card slot and a bundled 160GB of cloud storage help boost that, however. Quadband GSM/EDGE and triband UMTS/HSPA+ (900/AWS/2100) along with WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR round out the wireless options, plus there’s A-GPS and the usual bevy of sensors including gravity, proximity and light. An FM radio and dual microphone array, along with DLNA support and a microUSB port round things out.

Huawei says the Honor will launch, in black, in China, Russia and the Middle East come Q4 2011. However more colors will be available by the holiday season, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see broader availability too, perhaps as a carrier-rebrand in the US and/or Europe.

[via Android Community]

The Huawei MediaPad is a 7-inch tablet running Android 3.2 Honeycomb on a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It has a 1280×800 IPS touchscreen, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and HD video capture. It also supports full 1080p HD video playback and output via HDMI.

The tablet will come with Flash Player 10.3 support, HSPA+ 14.4Mbps connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 8GB internal storage expandable via the built-in microSD card slot. A WiFi-only version will not be available at launch. As for pricing, the device is already available for pre-orders in Singapore listed at the equivalent of $473 USD.

[via Engadget]

Earlier this month they announced the AT&T Impulse 4G by Huawei and that it would be offered for just $29 with a new 2-year contract, and that is exactly what we have here. Following right along with their outline saying it would be offered later this month the Impulse 4G is available now and we’ve received some hands-on with it already.

This is one extremely inexpensive smartphone that starts off right where most older Android smartphones began. We have a 3.8″ 480×800 resolution display, 800 Mhz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of ram and a nice little package all wrapped with an aluminum bezel on the front and a soft touch matte cover for the back. With a 5MP camera on the rear with LED flash and a 2GB micro-SD card included the only thing holding this baby back is the OS. We have Android 2.2 FroYo on board. While it is completely stock Android that many will enjoy, I’m sad they went with a pretty old version of Android instead of the popular and widely available 2.3 Gingerbread.

With hardly any bloatware included out of the box this is basically a standard and stock vanilla Android experience. This device is clearly aimed at a newcomer to a smartphone, kids, or someone that has been using a feature phone for a while and would like to try a smartphone for a change. Offering a great overall package, 4G speeds (HSPA+), and a great low price this little guy is destined for greatness — maybe. Compared to a few other entry level phones like the Wildfire S this appears to hold its own quite well but we’ll know more after a full review.

For now enjoy our hands-on and unboxing video, as well as a few pictures in the gallery below and expect plenty more to follow shortly.

AT&T Impulse 4G by Huawei Hands-on and Unboxing

Interestingly, Kerris later suggested that HP would “increase our investment in Enyo,” the webOS development framework, further indication that the company has no intention of selling the platform. Instead, it seems licensing is the strategy of choice; as HP execs said on the financial call yesterday, the company needed to stop “trying to force non-competitive products into the market.”

Samsung is an obvious option, especially given the state of play in the Android ecosystem after Google announced it was acquiring Motorola. Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee reportedly told a hurriedly-called meeting of company execs that they “must pay attention to the fact that IT power is moving away from hardware companies such as Samsung to software companies”; spokespeople denied there were any immediate purchase plans of software firms, but Kun-hee’s specific mention that Samsung would “more actively seek mergers and acquisitions” might imply an openness to working with HP on webOS devices.

Both of Samsung’s main existing platforms, Windows Phone and Android, now have strong ties to hardware partners (Nokia and Motorola, respectively) and while the Samsung-led bada has made surprising advances in terms of market share, it still lacks mindshare. Back in March, insiders suggested that Samsung was eyeing HP’s PC business, something the company now says it intends to spin-off.

HTC is another strong contender, in a similar position to Samsung with regards its two key platforms, but without a homegrown bada-equivalent to fall back on. Instead, HTC has been busy snapping up and investing in cloud service, consumer audio, game streaming and other companies, feathering its Sense portfolio as a way of better differentiating its devices. Sense, as we’ve said before, is in effect one big user lock-in attempt: once you’ve had a taste of online sync, remote tracking, offline maps, various cloud services and homegrown HTC apps, so the proposition goes, would you really want to lose all that when you upgrade your Android device by jumping to a different manufacturer?

Sense’s distinctive appearance could certainly sit on top of webOS as much as it does Android. The company’s “helicopter” overview of the multiple homescreen panes already looks a little like webOS cards, in fact. HTC has a preference for deep modification – look, for instance, at what it was doing with Windows Mobile on devices like the HD2, before Microsoft clamped down on UI alterations in Windows Phone – and may well be tempted by a company willing to throw wide open the development doors if it helps make some return on a $1.2bn investment.

Let’s not forget, though, that ex-Palm CEO, ex-HP webOS lead and current senior vice president for product innovation for the personal systems group, Jon Rubenstein, also sits on Amazon’s board. The retailer is tipped to be readying a set of Android tablets with a release before the holiday season; could it switch to webOS instead? Amazon’s commitment to the platform has been present from the start, with the original Pre launching with the Amazon MP3 Store app preloaded and, most recently, a version of Kindle for TouchPad being released.

On the flip-side, though, Amazon has invested no small amount of engineering time and marketing into Android, with the Amazon Appstore for Android already gaining download market-share thanks to daily free app promotions, though it’s always been the retailer’s intention to make the download service cross-platform. If middling developer adoption has been a significant thorn in webOS’ side, the huge consumer reach Amazon represents might be a deciding factor in which platforms coders choose to support.

Then there are the outliers. RIM is struggling with its BlackBerry 7 OS, with dwindling market share and only the promise of QNX-based smartphones in 2012 to buoy investors’ mood. Although reasonably praised by reviewers on the BlackBerry PlayBook, however, QNX is yet to find significant market adoption. webOS – which we’ve already seen works well on smaller-display devices like the Veer - would fit neatly into the compact touchscreens on QWERTY candybars like the Bold 9900/9930.

Huawei and ZTE could also be contenders, both Chinese firms with little brand-recognition but – like HTC before them – strong ambitions to take on high-profile rivals. ZTE has already shown itself capable of rivaling Apple and others on mobile devices overall; the name cachet of being connected with an established firm like HP, as well as the differentiating factor of webOS, could be enough for either company to break out of their current niche. Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s computing business and subsequent escalation is a good example of how little-known players can – with a healthy bank balance behind them – quickly grow to be a mainstay of the market.

Of course, there are other low-profile companies who might like to do the same, and Huawei and ZTE are merely two of them. HP’s decision to take a step back from the hardware side of webOS is probably a sensible one – a key criticism in our review of the TouchPad was the unconvincing design and construction, which overshadowed the software’s promise – though how the company has handled it is unlikely to leave existing users and developers with much positive to say. Still, webOS isn’t dead yet, and if this surprising month in tech has taught us anything it’s that nothing – however outlandish – is necessarily off the table.

For a comprehensive summary of HP’s webOS and computing decisions over the past few days, check out our full run-down of the news.

There’s also a microSD card slot, for sharing up to 32GB cards with WiFi-connected clients, together with a battery good for up to 4.5hrs active use. Usefully, a new button shows the WiFi SSID and password on-screen, meaning you no longer need to take off the battery cover in order to check them and get new devices online.

The E586 also comes with a neat little charging cradle, which should encourage you to keep it topped up, and an updated web interface UI. No word on official pricing yet, though when it goes on sale in September we’d expect to see pre-pay and contract options.

The action became necessary after the Motorola network acquisition got stalled when Huawei filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the transaction for fear that NSN would obtain its trade secrets and intellectual property, which Motorola had access to. This, in turn, caused the unit’s products and services to fall into lower demand.

Hence, not only will 1,500 of the 6,900 employees from the Motorola WiMAX and GSM units be let go, but another 1,200 will be transferred to its LTE and WCDMA units, which are currently seeing more success. The first batch of workers to go will be 150 of mostly research staff from Nokia Siemen’s Swindon facilties.

[via ZDNet]

On the back is a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, capable of both stills and 720p HD video. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a microUSB 2.0 port, along with a microSD card slot (for up to 32GB cards) and GPS/A-GPS. Sensors include the usual array of G-sensor, proximity and light, and there’s a 1,400mAh battery too.

That’s impressive, considering the Vision is only 9.9mm thin at its narrowest point, and weighs 121g. Huawei has managed to squeeze in an GM radio, and preloads various 3D games – including perennial favorite Angry Birds – and its own 3D interface on top of the Android UI.

Looks-wise, it’s a blend of HTC unibody from the back and a flattened-out Samsung Nexus S from the front, though we’re guessing with a Huawei-style low price tag. Availability is in “selected markets” starting from September, pricing tba.

Update: Tentative UK pricing, courtesy of SuperETrader, which is offering pre-orders for the Vision at £279 pre-tax ($457). The retailer does warn that official pricing is yet to be finally confirmed. [Thanks Paul!]

Nokia isn’t the only firm named in that suit; InterDigital is also going after Huawei and STE as well. According to InterDigital, all three of those companies are using unfair trade practices by importing certain 3G devices like mobile phones and hotspots as well as tablets and computers that infringe on patents that InterDigital holds in the US. The patent companies were field with the ITC.

InterDigital also filed a separate complaint in federal court alleging that all three of the firms infringe on the same patents with their devices. The specific patents the case is about aren’t mentioned. I am about as tired of hearing about patent suits as I am hackers.

[via WSJ]

Chinese analysts have pointed to the relatively closeness of MeeGo’s system kernel and that of Android, suggesting that both hardware and apps could be reasonably straightforward to migrate. MeeGo’s under-the-radar legal situation, and backer Intel’s extreme willingness to find new partners – now that Nokia has all but abandoned MeeGo in favor of Windows Phone – could make the platform a safer bet for spooked Android OEMs. Interestingly, rumors have already surfaced earlier in the year regarding the possibility of a ZTE handset powered by Intel processors.

However, just as Nokia has left the N9 to helm its fledgling MeeGo effort, more manufacturers are expected to look to Windows Phone. Although Microsoft charges a roughly $15-per-device licensing fee for Windows Phone 7, versus Google’s free distribution of Android, there are suggestions that should Apple, Oracle and others win their patent cases then $15-20 royalty fees may become commonplace for Android phones and tablets. HTC is already believed to pay Microsoft roughly $5 per Android device in licensing, while Samsung is supposedly being chased for up to $15 per Android device.

Of course, whether Apple would agree to licensing its technologies remains a sleeping-dragon issue. HTC has already announced that it has “alternate solutions” to the systems Apple alleges are infringed, perhaps in unspoken admission of the fact that the Cupertino company is likely more interested in squashing and hamstringing its rivals than it is in clawing license fees from them. Forcing Google back to the drawing board to identify and replace elements of Android found to overstep into iOS IP would certainly sap some of the platform’s current momentum.

[via] DigiTimes]

Various budget-friendly Android tablets are on their way, including the Vizio 8-inch tablet, Acer Iconia Tab A100, Archos G9 series 8-inch and 10-inch tablets, and the Huawei MediaPad. Various smartphones are either on their way or have just launched, including the Motorola TRIUMPH, Droid 3, and Droid Bionic. There’s also the AT&T LG Thrill 4G and the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide. Some Apple news rounds out this week’s review. The full video and list of pertinent links can be found below.

Nokia:
Nokia N9 official: 3.9-inch MeeGo smartphone
Nokia N9 hands-on [Video]
Nokia N9 on sale “within a month”?
Nokia N9 Android app support promised with Alien Dalvik
N9 camera fastest around boasts Nokia; NFC image transfers supported
Nokia N9 Sweden Release September 23rd, Gorilla Ice Cream in Tow
Nokia Windows Phone gets demo: N9-a-like shows Microsoft love [Video]
Nokia unveils new accessories for its smartphones
Nokia N9 and NFC Nokia Play 360 speaker hands-on [Video]
Nokia N950 confirmed for MeeGo devs: 4-inch QWERTY slider
Nokia N950 arriving with MeeGo developers now
Nokia N950 gets video tease
Nokia N950 teardown revealed

RIM:
RIM Forcing Half-Baked BlackBerrys On To Carriers?
Seesmic App Drops BlackBerry Support, Other Apps To Follow?
RIM Starts Layoffs After Dismal BlackBerry News
RIM slashes PlayBook sales goals for Q2 2011

Upcoming budget-friendly Android tablets:
Vizio 8-Inch Android Tablet Demoed In Hands-On
Acer Iconia Tab A100 Hits Walmart For $349
Archos G9 Android 3.1 Tablets Get Dual-Core Fast, 250GB Storage, 3G Ready, And Low Price
Huawei MediaPad brings Android 3.2 on 7-inch 1.2GHz dual-core
Android 3.2 Honeycomb update in “next few weeks”; Huawei MediaPad tipped for August

Smartphones:
Motorola TRIUMPH Pre-Orders Start Today At Best Buy For $299
Motorola Droid 3 To Arrive At Best Buy July 13?
Motorola Droid Bionic Still On Schedule
LG Thrill 4G For AT&T Officially Unveiled
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide caught in wild ahead of July 6 release

Apple:
Apple Final Cut Pro X released
Apple Final Cut Pro X To Get Updates Every Six Months
Samsung denied early iPad 3/iPhone 5 access but Apple sales injunction hopes fade
Apple files patent infringement suit against Samsung in South Korea
Apple granted iPhone multitouch patent: Lawyers prepare for action
iOS 5 Beta 2 Now Available To Developers
Mac OS X v 10.6.8 update now available
New AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule details emerge, launch imminent
Apple Time Capsule gets 3TB storage boost [Ouch: $499!]
Apple AirPort Extreme gets tiny blip of an update
Mac Pro and Mac Mini August refresh tipped: Sandy Bridge, Thunderbolt and Lion
iPhone 5 to be an August game-changer?

Hands-on/Reviews:
LaCie Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt hands-on [Video]
HTC EVO View 4G Review
Windows Phone 7.1 Mango Technical Preview

This is the Huawei M886 aka Cricket Glory or Huawei Glory, a device that’s coming out on Cricket this November and following up the massively successful Huawei Ascend, aka the “Cheapest Android Phone on the Market.” The Ascend leaves off where the Glory picks up, Android 2.2 Froyo now ANdroid 2.3 Gingerbread on a 9.7mm thick, TFT LCD display toting 1900 mAh battery having device being sold as a pre-paid device in the USA.

Our pal Sascha Segan from PCMag recently got the opportunity to take a hands-on look at this device, some photos he took can be found here in the gallery below:

This device has a few unique features that move it slightly aside from the rest of the pack: first, a hardware feature. The battery cover on this device, aka the entire back of the unit, has a layer of clear plastic over a white innard, making the entire back have a unique 3D-ish appearance. The next difference is in the user interface. While this device takes a mostly vanilla look at Gingerbread, the icons and the switching of homescreens happens quite visibly. Also there’s the ability to switch the locations of applications in your app drawer – a feature we’re wishing for in all future iterations of Android, we’ll have you know.

This device has 2 GB of memory inside along with a microSD card slot for expansion of said memory. This device in its current state has EVDO Rev. B but will ship with Rev. A for Cricket in the USA, and there’s no way to output media to a larger screen at the moment. This factoid may only be temporary however as PCMag has been told that Huawei will be releasing some “surprising” media solutions by the time the device is released.

*Then let’s talk about this processor the device is holding. What Sasha was told was that this device is rolling out with a 1.4-GHz Qualcomm MSM8655T processor which Huawei says is dual core. However, if you take a look at specs for that particular processor, Qualcomm notes that it is single core. What’s the true truth? We shall soon find out!

You the viewer – are you looking forward to more pre-paid superphones like this, or are you happy with your current 2-year contract situations here in the USA?

[via Android Community]

Version 3.2, the sources suggest, is the last Honeycomb build before Google launches Ice Cream Sandwich. That – officially unveiled at Google I/O earlier this year – will harmonize the currently separate strands of Android for phones, tablets and Google TV.

As for what we can expect from Android 3.2 Honeycomb, as well as supporting a range of display sizes, including the 7-inch panels of the MediaPad, ViewSonic’s ViewPad 7x and the Acer Iconia Tab A100, it will also apparently add support for Qualcomm processors. Until now, only Tegra 2 chips have been supported, presenting another block in the path for HTC’s Flyer Honeycomb upgrade.

Finally, there’ll be bug fixes and a boost to hardware acceleration. The Movie Studio, Movies, Music and widgets will all be updated in the process.

There’s also WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, support for 1080p Full HD playback and a battery which, Huawei reckons, is good for over six hours of battery life. That should put it roughly in line with the HTC Flyer, though of course the Flyer runs Gingerbread not Honeycomb. Huawei has also confirmed that Flash Player 10.3 is supported and that there’s 8GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot.

The Facebook and Twitter apps will be preloaded, as will Document To Go and Let’s Golf. Huawei will also be throwing in support for its Hispace cloud system, though full details are yet to be confirmed. Unfortunately there won’t be a WiFi-only model, Engadget reports, with Huawei apparently prioritizing carrier distribution.

US availability is tipped for Q4 2011, with pricing yet to be announced. The key difference between Android 3.1 Honeycomb and this new 3.2 version is supposedly that Google has tailored it to suit 7-inch slates. That should help Acer feel more comfortable about releasing the delayed Iconia Tab A100 later in the year.

[via Android Community]

The exact specs for this new Huawei MediaPad has not been revealed yet but it’s speculated that the device will be powered by Qualcomm’s dual-core 1.5Ghz processor. And if not the Qualcomm, it could sport the NVIDIA Tegra 2. And whatever new features will likely be on top of the standard ones found on the S7 Slim, such as 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, camera for video calls, web browser, email, and HD video support.

The MediaPad is also believed to run Android Honeycomb, which would mean that the screen resolution could be bumped up to 1280 x 800. The tablet should be lighter and thinner than the S7 Slim and could slot in at under $400.

ZTE’s involvement as a new Windows Phone OEM – alongside manufacturers Acer and Fujitsu, Microsoft announced this week – is expected to see handset prices driven down. The company is known for its budget-priced smartphones, usually sold as rebadged devices carrying carrier branding.

Throwing Huawei into the mixture would likely accelerate that process, though Nokia’s presence as Microsoft’s most significant partner should also have a considerable affect on Windows Phone’s presence in more emerging markets. A gradual loosening of minimum specifications will assist in that; Microsoft’s first batch of Windows Phone 7 handsets were held to a strict hardware pattern, something which not only cut down on individuality but meant prices were reasonably high.

Up to 200 people who live inside the test coverage area – which you can see on the map above – will be involved when the trial kicks off in September this year. Up to 100 mobile and 100 fixed line customers will be outfitted with kit from Nokia, Siemens and Huawei, either using USB modems or home modem/routers, reports the BBC.

Broader use of 4G isn’t expected in the UK for some time yet, with carriers yet to bid on the spectrum; that will take place early in 2012, with networks expected in 2014. The spectrum is currently used for analog TV broadcasts, which are gradually being phased out.

Press Release:

4G Superfast Broadband Trial

Everything Everywhere and BT are collaborating to deliver the first live trial of next generation 4G superfast broadband to customers. The live proof of concept trial is the first of its kind in the UK and will see the two companies sharing their fixed telecommunications and mobile technology to provide high speed wireless broadband to customers in rural Cornwall.

The collaboration means residents living south of Newquay in St Newlyn East and the surrounding area will be the first to experience the next generation of internet access speed.

The trial will take place in a combined coverage area of 25 square kilometres, with approximately 700 premises which have no or limited access to broadband services today, enabling you to surf the internet faster and more effectively than ever before.

What we need now are 200 volunteers to take part. The trial will start this September and run to early next year, involving up to 100 mobile and 100 fixed line customers.

Please see our coverage map to check whether you are in our 4G superfast broadband coverage area.

If you want to take part you just need to fill out your details below and we will be in touch.

There is no cost and no risk on your part. Everything Everywhere and BT will be picking up the bill for all of this and our teams of experienced engineers will fit all of the equipment you need and even provide you with an up-to-date 4G-ready dongle to use.

You just have to promise to put it through its paces and let us know how you get on.

We hope the people of St Newlyn East and surrounding area are as excited as we are about making a little bit of history with this trial.

June’s line-up will see the Samsung t589 Gravity Touch 2 and the t759 “Hawk” arrive, running Android, on the 8th, along with the Samsung t499 “Tass” – believed to be a version of the Galaxy Mini – on the 15th (and which may launch as the Samsung Suit). More Samsung on June 29, wiht the Samsung t379 “Triumph” aka Gravity 4 arrives, likely a featurephone with a slide-out keyboard. There’ll also be a 42Mbps HSPA+ WiFi b/g/n mobile hotspot, the Huawei E587 “Wayne”.

On July 15, there’s the HTC “Marvel” – T-Mobile’s version of the Wildfire S, along with the BlackBerry “Monza” aka the BlackBerry Touch. That should drop on July 27, complete with 14.4Mbps HSPA support and a 1.2GHz single-core Snapdragon processor, plus a sub-$200 on-contract price tag.

August brings two further BlackBerry phones, with the Bold Touch on the 17th and Apollo – aka the next-gen Curve – on the 31st. Huawei’s S7 tablet will also arrive that month, presumably with HSPA+.

September should see the dual-core Samsung Hercules arrive on the 26th, plus, on the 21st, the Nokia “Panda” Nuron 4G. That will be a sub-$150 Symbian handset with 14.4Mbps HSPA, a 3.2-inch 360 x 640 display, 5-megapixel EDoF camera and WiFi. There’ll also be the LG Flip II on September 14.

There’s also a scattering of devices with no release dates attached. They range from the vaguely mundane, like the Samsung Jamong clamshell with AWS 3G and a 1.3-megapixel camera, or the LG “Gelato” Optimus II, believed to be a successor to the LG Optimus T, to the more interesting, like the Huawei U2805, expected to be an HSPA-capable smartphone (and likely to be T-Mobile branded).

Then there’s the mysterious Samsung “Durmont” and a pair of devices from HTC, the HTC Bresson – expected to be the 16-megapixel Windows Phone device caught on video back in April – and the HTC G-Infinity. The latter is shaping up to be a high-end Android device, following the G2 and G2x.

ZTE is demanding that Huawei stop its infringement, pay compensation and “takes up the legal responsibilities” involved, which we’re presuming means paying for all the lawyers currently rubbing their hands together with glee. It seems this is only the first in a number of suits, too; ZTE says there will be “a series of legal actions taken globally to protect ZTE’s rights on intellectual properties.”

As has become the usual, we’re expecting this will all end up with cross-licensing agreements of just the sort that Huawei said yesterday that it had demanded from ZTE.

Press Release:

ZTE Files Lawsuit Against Huawei Technologies for Patent Infringement

29 April 2011, Shenzhen, China — ZTE Corporation (ZTE) today filed a lawsuit against Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. for patent infringement over its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, cellular wireless technologies in China.

In the lawsuit, ZTE requests that Huawei stops its violation, pays compensation to ZTE and takes up the legal responsibilities caused by the infringement. There will also be a series of legal actions taken globally to protect ZTE’s rights on intellectual properties, ensuring its legitimate rights and interests will not be compromised.

ZTE believes the rapid and orderly development of the global telecom industry with innovation is closely related to ZTE’s active involvement and collaboration with many other telecommunication corporations around the world.

ZTE also works with international standard organizations including ITU, 3GPP and 3GPP2 to build unified and interoperable communications networks. ZTE is in a leading position and has made significant contributions to the international standard organizations.

Meanwhile, ZTE has been strengthening its patent technologies in 2G, 3G and 4G. ZTE’s strength in intellectual property rights — particularly in 3G and 4G technologies — and high-quality patented global deployments, are demonstrated by its technological competitive advantages and market development. In Q1 2011, the number of ZTE’s applications for PCT patents ranked first in the world.

ZTE believes that patent competition should not be a source of competition between companies. ZTE respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, but it will not stop protecting its own intellectual property rights.

Walter Mossberg, the WSJ godfather of gadget reviews, has said the LG G-Slate is “not as good as the iPad 2″ and that he would only recommend it to those “who want the higher cellular speeds, or who prefer Android”.

RIM’s BlackBerry 7 may be coming out sooner that we thought, but is it just a rebadge of OS 6.1? We will be there to report on it at BlackBerry World next week.

Sony still hasn’t said exactly what happened with the hack of PSN, but it is physically moving the database to a more secure location, as well as updating the software security. It is estimated now that the breach could cost Sony $24 billion.

Samsung is getting the Galaxy S II party started in Korea, and even did some extra research on thumb-length when designing the device. We love the Galaxy S II, it is a fantastic phone with an amazing display. You can check out our full review here. Still no date for US release.

According to Huawei’s chief legal officer, Dr. Song Liuping, the company has issued several cease & desist letters, which ZTE ignored. Nonetheless, it would prefer to license the technology rather than drag it through the courts. “Our objective is to stop the illegal use of Huawei’s intellectual property” Liuping suggests, “and resolve this dispute through negotiation so that our technology is used in a lawful manner.”

Both companies have been ascending stars in the mobile device industry, providing low-cost data cards, USB modems, mobile hotspots and cellphones and smartphones to carriers and other manufacturers for rebranding. ZTE pushed Apple from its position in the top five global phone rankings in Q4 2010.

In response to Huawei’s suits, ZTE has given us the following statement:

“ZTE Corporation is astonished that Huawei Technologies has taken these legal actions. As a company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, ZTE respects and adheres to international intellectual property laws and regulations without reservation, and absolutely rejects that there has been any patent and trademark infringement. ZTE is always willing to negotiate on issues in good faith, but will definitely take vigorous legal action in situations like this to protect its interests and those of its customers worldwide.”

Press Release:

Huawei Moves to Protect its Patent and Trademarks with Legal Action in Europe

[Shenzhen, 28 April 2011] Huawei today filed lawsuits in Germany, France, and Hungary against ZTE Corporation (ZTE) for patent and trade mark infringement. The lawsuits were filed on the basis that ZTE is infringing a series of Huawei’s patents relating to data card and LTE (Long Term Evolution) technologies and illegally used a Huawei-registered trademark on some of its data card products.

Huawei’s Chief Legal Officer, Dr. Song Liuping said, “Huawei was compelled to initiate this action in order to protect our innovations and registered intellectual property in Europe. Our objective is to stop the illegal use of Huawei’s intellectual property and resolve this dispute through negotiation so that our technology is used in a lawful manner.”

These lawsuits were commenced after ZTE failed to respond to cease and desist letters requiring the company to stop carrying out the infringing acts that are the basis for these proceedings. Huawei had also actively invited ZTE on numerous occasions to enter into cross-patent licensing negotiations but was equally unsuccessful. As Huawei has neither received any substantive response nor a commitment from ZTE to stop its infringements, the company has had no alternative but to use legal means to protect its legal interests by requesting that the courts prohibit ZTE’s continued infringements of Huawei’s trade mark and patent rights.

Huawei has great respect for the rights of intellectual property holders and is equally committed to the protection of its own innovations and intellectual property. The company has signed a series of cross-license agreements with major telecoms vendors and other intellectual property rights holders. In 2010, Huawei paid US$222 million in patent licensing fees to obtain the legal right to use patents and technologies of other leading companies in the industry. Huawei also invests a considerable portion of its annual revenues in research and development. Its R&D expenditure in 2010 alone was RMB 16.556 billion (USD 2.5 billion).

“Intellectual property is among Huawei’s most valuable assets. That is why we feel a responsibility to our customers and to our shareholders to do everything possible to protect these assets in any legal jurisdiction worldwide. Where violations are taking place, we will do whatever is required to ensure that the use of Huawei’s intellectual property by any company is based on internationally accepted protocols and practices,” Dr. Song said.

The announcement means the end to all legal claims and pending litigation between the two firms. The two companies reached an agreement that will allow Motorola to transfer certain Huawei intellectual property and other agreements that are in place with Huawei to Nokia Siemens Networks for an undisclosed sum of money.

Motorola CEO Greg Brown said, “We regret that these disputes have occurred between our two companies. Motorola Solutions values the long-standing relationship we have had with Huawei. After reviewing the facts, we decided to resolve these matters and return to our traditional relationship of confidence and trust. I am pleased that we can again focus on having a cooperative and productive relationship.”

[via BGR]

The basic idea is alright. The biggest thing that they emphasize is taking the phone back to the idea as primarily a communications device. They decry the proliferation of apps above human interaction. The response comes in the form of a neato little phone.

I’m not hugely impressed. To me, this thing looks like a redesigned jitterbug. At least it’s going to have a camera. If it has a very good camera, it might even be worth it for people who are stuck on AT&T who can’t really take advantage of their full data capabilities anyway.

[via Concept Phones]

On pay-as-you-go, the “1GB Ready To Go” package – which, unsurprisingly, includes 1GB of data – will be £69.99; on a rolling one month contract the modem will be £49.99 and then £15.99 per month for 5GB of service (or with no upfront charge and 5GB for £18.03 per month on a 24 month contract). Existing customers will also be able to upgrade their existing Three dongles for a one-off payment of £59.99.

[youtube ynFR04gbuUY]

Huawei has announced that it has been granted a preliminary injunction against Motorola that would prevent Motorola from sharing any Huawei IP with Nokia Siemens. The ruling also forces Motorola to hire a third part to ensure that the confidential details of Huawei that Motorola is privy to are securely removed.

The ruling also allows Huawei to audit the Nokia Siemens Networks record of service that it performs on Motorola-branded systems that use Huawei products inside. It’s not clear on how or if the ruling will affect the purchase by Nokia Siemens.

“We sincerely hope that the United States government will carry out a formal investigation on any concerns it may have about Huawei.”

So there you have it. The ball is in our government’s court now. It remains to be seen if any investigation could be thorough enough to ease the Pentagon’s mind, but at least the offer is out there. Huawei has also sparked concern over in the UK, where they recently bid on a telecommunications company named Marconi. In 2008, the Pentagon reported to congress that Huawei had “close ties” to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The Director of National Intelligence is on record as claiming that the 3Com-Huawei merger would “undermine” U.S. national security. I can personal vouch that the company reps at MWC 2011 had a suspicious number of Android pins. I can only suspect collusion with the Google booth.

[Via Reuters]