According to a report from DigiTimes, shipments of a brand new upgraded Nexus 7 have already begun. This version of the device will have a lovely new 1920 x 1200 display on its front along with a new set of innards – retaining the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor too, we must expect.

This same tip suggests that this new display is a low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) panel that, again, sits at 7-inches diagonally. This means that this device will have 323.45 PPI, that being significantly sharper than the “Retina” panel on the standard 9.7-inch iPad. Meanwhile the sharpest display on a mobile smart device on the market today remains 468.7 PPI, that coming from the HTC One.

The new Google Nexus 7 will continue to be made by ASUS, of course, and the same source as mentioned above have said AU Optronics are the team behind this generation’s displays thus far. Future users can expect this device to be appearing right around June 10th – though there’s been no official confirmation of this from Google thus far.

If you’re wondering what the big deal is with this device, look no further than this Conduit HD review. Or if you want to look a little further anyway, have a peek at this Real Boxing review, it and the other game having been demonstrated on the Nexus 7, nearly a year after its initial release – still kickin!

The demo you’re seeing here shows one of two different types of futuristic gaming action you’ll be able to experience on Project SHIELD. While you’ll also be able to do streaming gaming from your GeForce-toting PC on your own wireless network, this demonstration is working with pure Android. This game will be released by the time the Project SHIELD hardware becomes available – soon and very soon!

According to NVIDIA, a collection of Tegra 4-specific features are appearing here in addition to the hot-powered action you’ll get outside of the NVIDIA environment. While you’ll be rolling hardest with this game on Tegra 4-toting smart devices, as with the original Riptide GP, you’ll still be able to (eventually) rock and roll with this game on most Android devices. Of course with a Tegra 4 processor you’ll be getting the best of the best!

• Full 3rd Party Controller Support
• Enhanced Water and Particle Effects
• HDR Lighting
• Boosted Reflection Shaders
• All-New Spectator Mode with Project SHIELD

So get pumped up – and have a peek a the timeline below for additional demonstrations of the hardcore power of Project SHIELD as well!

[via NVIDIA]

What you’re going to see first here is a hands-on look at Tegra 4i as it runs on the Phoenix Developer Platform. What you’ll see is Real Boxing being played, this game not quite out yet for Android, but looking fantastic on the Phoenix. It’s important to note that while the software on this device – and the device itself – are not quite out in their final form, the setup we’ve seen here is monstrous.

Next you’re going to see a similar sort of situation, this time with an unnamed tablet running a full-fledged NVIDIA Tegra 4. This device is also plugged in with an Xbox controller and running Zombie Driver. You’ll see that with a massively impressive game like this – updated for the Tegra 4, mind you – it’s all good for the future.

Then there’s a video coming up with some power management demonstration action. You’ll find that the NVIDIA Tegra 4 has the ability – in a developer setup here, again – uses up next to no power at all when you need it. Now we’ve just got to see this excellence in final form in a real product! Not for some months though, mind you – NVIDIA doesn’t expect final form Tegra 4 or Tegra 4i products to be out for some time.

You’ll enjoy the following gallery especially if you’re a fan of up-close-and-personal action with processors. We’ve gotten the chance to capture both the Tegra 4 and the Tegra 4i as they’d appear in a board inside a mobile device. While this isn’t exactly how they’d be arranged no matter what device you’ve got, it’s nice to see how the 4i looks on its own, with the i500 modem built in, then the Tegra 4 with the Icera modem separate – it’s the right-most black rectangle above.

Finally – the benchmarks. You’ll find that the NVIDIA Tegra 4 mock-up situation the company has made up here is ready for action only in a very rudimentary sense. While you’re able to play games and rock and roll with benchmarks galore, you’re not exactly going to be popping this unit into your backpack. That said, you can see how NVIDIA’s next-generation processor is blasting forth here well before it hits a final product.

Stay tuned all week long as we continue to rock and roll with NVIDIA and the rest of the wireless environment at Mobile World Congress 2013!

The NVIDIA Project SHIELD device you’re seeing here consists of an amalgamation of gaming excellence, including soft plastic grips, a lovely high definition display, and an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor under the hood. The whole device runs with Android for high-powered mobile games and has the ability to stream games from a computer in your home network wirelessly – GeForce GTX to the rescue!

This is just one of several games that’ll be optimized for play between your NVIDIA GeForce-toting computer and Project SHIELD. While thus far NVIDIA has been focusing on games that can be streamed via Valve’s Steam, today the focus is EA Games. The connection today is made with Need For Speed: Most Wanted, but as our NVIDIA host reminds us, Battlefield 3 will also work right out of the box. Each of these games works with a pre-set mapping of controls to the NVIDIA Project SHIELD device, allowing you to jump right in without a hiccup.

With Project SHIELD packed with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, you know you’ve got an undeniable 72-core GPU under the hood. When you’re working with a game streamed from your PC, you’re also using the graphics processing power of your GeForce GPU. In this case the computer does “all the heavy lifting” as NVIDIA’s Will Park notes, allowing you to work with the game at its full-on usability and graphics potential.

Have a peek at the timeline below for additional insight into this beast of a device and gaming environment as it all unfolds through the future – right here on SlashGear. Along with it, be sure to head to our NVIDIA Tegra hub for more Tegra than your eyes can handle!

What we’re seeing here is an extension of NVIDIA’s plan to push down-clocked versions of their processors to machines that are then priced so low that the competition cannot possibly compete. And it’s not the first time this has happened. We saw this strategy working in the Google Nexus 7 tablet also manufactured by ASUS, and that tablet has been selling like hotcakes since birth.

This ASUS MeMO Pad 10 will be busting out with 16GB of internal storage, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box, and both front and back-facing cameras. The front facing camera will be 1.2 megapixels while the back will be 5 megapixels strong, and you’ll have a microSD card to store all the media you collect – at the moment we’re not sure what the max card size is that you’ll be able to plug in there, but we’re expecting 32GB.

BONUS: This tablet has been tipped more than once before with basically the same specifications – looks to be a lock!

This tablet will be working with a microUSB port instead of the larger port used on previous ASUS tablets and will have a microHDMI port as well for working with your HDTV. This tablet has been tipped to be appearing for between 329 to 389 Euro, this meaning a direct conversion to USD would still be above $500 – not exactly wallet friendly. We must expect that this price will be modified for the US market or that the device wont be appearing inside our borders – we shall see!

Also of interest is the fact that this machine has appeared in press photos in blue and white while the listings found thus far have also shown red and pink casings available at launch – wild stuff! Expect this tablet to appear at Mobile World Congress 2013 more than likely!

[via Android Community; via Tablets Magazine]

The reason we’re not exactly 100% solid on the specifications as we’d normally be with a release straight from the manufacturer is the fact that this is a bit of a third-hand sort of situation. While we see Engadget posting it from Blog of Mobile, they in turn are getting it from Sony Mobile‘s Japan-based hub. This means that even though this tablet will be hitting shelves in Japan with these specifications, we’ll likely see more than a couple changes by the time we see it in the USA (or outside the islands, for that matter).

This tablet is set to come in at least two color combination – on the back, anyway – and it’ll be coming with no less than the excellent Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064 quad-core SoC clocked in at 1.5GHz. This will be paired with 2GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity (and a wi-fi only edition we must assume) as well as an 8.1-megapixel camera on the back. This back-facing camera works with Exmore R technology and will likely be a star in Sony’s promotion of the unit overall.

The display on this machine is not quite as massively dense with pixels as the Google Nexus 10, but it’s tight nonetheless: 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution working with Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology – we’ll see soon what kind of display it is, be it IPS or AMOLED – with the jumps we’re seeing here over previous model Xperia tablets, there’s no knowing what the Sony team is bringing forth. This tablet also works with NFC, has a microSD card slot for memory expansion, and the whole package is both waterproof and dustproof (though the exact amount of both we’re still waiting on, too).

Inside the machine you’ll find a 6,000mAh battery and the whole unit will be coming in at a super thin 6.9mm and 495g in weight. This machine is a rather large leap forward for Sony from any of their previous tablets – have a peek at our recent review of the Tegra 3-toting Xperia Tablet S to see how far the company has come in a relatively short time. Note the software there too, because we’re quite likely going to be seeing something rather similar soon!

Expect to see this at Mobile World Congress 2013 next month – we’ll be there with bells on!

NVIDIA Tegra 4

The NVIDIA Tegra 4 System-on-Chip with five ARM Cortex A15 cores – four of them with 1.9GHz max clock speed, a fifth synthesized to work at lower power. The technology working around this fifth Companion core is similar to the Tegra 3, and for the lay person, it may as well be presented as the same due to how similar it really is. The fifth core is not visible to the operating system you’re using (be it Android, Windows, or something else), acting as more of a “Shadow Core” or a “Ninja” as we’ve been apt to call it, just as it was with Tegra 3.

Above you’re going to see a rundown of what Tegra 4 is, how it compares to Tegra 3, and what the future holds for mobile processing. The talk you’re seeing above is with NVIDIA Technical Marketing Director Nick Stam who presented us more of a detailed look at the Tegra 4 and what it means for mobile devices in 2013 (and beyond.)

For those of you that want to get rather technical with it all, you’ll be interested in knowing that the die size here in this new model is 80mm^2, ever so slightly larger than Tegra 3, but a whole lot denser as well. The cores you’re seeing here work on 28nm HPL, that being 28nm low power with high-k plus metal gates. What that basically means here is that you’re going to get one extremely optimized experience, made for high performance and low power consumption – as every great processor should.

The Tegra 4 processor will be working with “Always-On” HDR camera technology as well. You’ll find a rather interesting set of details in our initial reveal post, and we’ll be seeing this technology in-person sooner than later. It’s then that we’ll be seeing what it really means to be able to instantly take a shot with multiple exposures at once!

NVIDIA Icera i500 Soft Modem with 4G LTE

The NVIDIA Icera i500 Soft Modem is what the company describes as 40% smaller than a conventional die – this referring to other modems they’ve worked with from companies other than themselves, of course. The Icera i500 will work with Soft Modem technology, starting with UE Category 3 LTE (100 Mbps downlink on 20 MHz FDD-LTE) and moving forward to UE Category 4 LTE in the very near future. VoLTE is supported with other voice mode technologies, and the modem will be paired with a new never before seen transceiver built on 65nm LP CMOS.

The NVIDIA Icera i500 Soft Modem is built on TSMC’s 28nm high performance High-K Metal Gate process, and the company is able to power gate each of its cores individually. Depending on the needs of each device’s software package, each of the NVIDIA Icera i500′s 8 cores can be used or not used, gating based on changing load conditions.

Following Tegra 4

Those of you getting pumped up about Tegra 4 and NVIDIA’s full 2013 experience, you’ll have a fabulous time hitting up our massive Tegra Hub. There you’ll find not just your everyday NVIDIA Tegra mobile processor news, but featured hands-on articles, must-read up-to-the-minute updates, and reviews of Tegra-toting devices of all kinds.

Right this minute you’ll find several stories on the first device to have been revealed working with the Tegra 4 processor: NIVIDA’s own Project SHIELD. You’ll find plenty of awesome Project SHIELD action in the immediate future and up with its final name some time in Q2 of this year. Also have a peek in the timeline below to see the first important detail articles to have come down the line here in the first week since Tegra 4 was first revealed – Project SHIELD included!

This processor loaded 25 unique, high traffic sites in 27 seconds while the Nexus 10 loaded the same in 50 seconds. That simple test means one thing, said Huang, is that if you’re loading a webpage with the NVIDIA Tegra 4, you’ll get it “in one second”, while when you’re working with the current most powerful tablet on the planet (the Nexus 10, so they say), you’ll get it “in two seconds.”

In a comparison chart onstage, Huang showed the Tegra 4 as fastest, the iPad 4 as right behind it (though slightly slower, of course), the Nexus 10 coming in next, Droid DNA after that, and the Kindle Fire HD down at the bottom of the pack. Though we’ll be investigating these claims in the very near future, it’s fairly plain at the moment that NVIDIA’s architecture here is the most powerful solution for mobile devices on the planet.

Stay tuned as we continue to transmit all the details straight from CES 2013 through our massive CES portal all week long!

This machine is being tipped as having a lovely 4.7-inch 1080p display, a fabulous Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor clocked in at 1.7GHz, and a 13 megapixel camera on the back. The big deal with this phone is not that it’s got the most gigantic display nor the most powerful processor though, but that it may be coming without capacitive buttons under the display. This would put it in with the rumors for a similar device coming from Samsung this year in the Galaxy S IV.

At the moment, HTC is still working with their HTC One family of devices, a lower-powered HTC One device appearing just today on Cricket Wireless. The M7 is set to work with 2GB of RAM and a set of specifications inside and out that would suggest that it’s set for the top of the heap, on the other hand, and very possibly headed to more than one carrier all at once.

Stick around SlashGear to see exactly what this new device is going to bring to the HTC family of devices for Android in our HTC tag, and don’t for get CES and MWC! Hit the CES 2013 tag portal first to follow SlashGear first, starting Sunday (or today if you like), then hit up the MWC 2013 tag right afterward to follow us to Barcelona!

The NVIDIA TegraZone being available for Windows RT means that NVIDIA will be pushing developers to their limits with a cross-promotional bit of excellence on all Tegra 3-toting devices. If you’ve got a Windows RT tablet with Tegra 3 (regardless of manufacturer), you’ll have a precise collection of games ready and waiting for you to peruse that you’ll know were made with your device in mind. In many cases, this means that the game has features above and beyond what it’d have working with any other processor-toting device.

Here at the launch of the NVIDIA TegraZone for Windows RT, you’ve got a selection of the following awesome collection of games: Judge Dredd vs Zombies, Pinball FX 2, Reckless Racing Ultimate, Riptide GP, Soulcraft, Space Ark, Sprinkle and Vendetta Online. Each of these games is offered for sale in the Windows Store but through the TegraZone is detailed with Tegra-only enhanced features. These features include enhanced physics in water, smoke, and cloth, dynamic lighting and particle effects – and more!

As it was with the original NVIDIA TegraZone, this version of the interface is made for the current most fabulous Tegra processor, but will keep up-to-date with the best of the best in the future. That means here that while the Tegra 3 quad-core processor is king (and has been throughout 2012), we’ll likely see a new beast from the NVIDIA crew for mobile devices in 2013 – currently code-named Wayne, as it were. Keep an eye out! Once that processor is out, developers working with NVIDIA will still be busting out the best of the best, so the TegraZone is up on the greatest no matter when you see it!

The most important part of this whole equation is the relationship that the folks at NVIDIA have with the developers behind these hard-hitting games, and the amazing apps they create as a result of said relationships for you, the user. You can download the TegraZone app from the Windows Store right this minute – have at it!

Also have a peek at the TegraZone path that’s been forged on SlashGear in a small sampling from Slashgear in the timeline below for Android – and hit our own NVIDIA [Tegra Portal] to take in the full NVIDIA Tegra environment, top to bottom!

[via NVIDIA]

This device’s processor also appears in the ASUS Nexus 7, the Google 7-inch tablet you’ll find on the Google Play store now – here with the nabi XD you’ll be getting Android too, but not as you’ve ever seen it before. This device has a user interface that “dynamically updates the gadgets, widgets, and apps that appear based on time and location.” Rather futuristic-sounding stuff!

The Fuhu-made nabi XD works with 10 hours of battery life for a full day of fun and is able to run what Fuhu notes is a “suite of productivity apps and console quality games.” This machine can be paired with a patent-pending optional pad-folio with integrated silicone keyboard cover for a “traditional typing feel” as well. You’ll be reminded of another rather popular device on the market today when you see it – but rest assured, this solution is Fuhu’s own.

The tablet also works with NFC, able to work perfectly with the nabi exclusive battle-ready figurines the team is revealing that’ll in turn work with the upcoming Battle KINABIs game – we’ll find out more about that soon!

The nabi XD will be available as a “limited release” in late-December and will be available nationwide starting in mid-January. This machine will be coming in two sizes for two different prices: a 16GB model that’ll cost you $249 and a 32GB model that’ll ring in at $349 USD.

Additional details for you specification hunters:
10.1-inch IPS LCD display at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Aluminum Body with rubberized shock-resistant corners
Pad-folio and additional accessories available in mid-January ranging between $19.99 and $89.99 USD
“Smart” 3D User Interface
GPS
Wi-fi connectivity

This machine works with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with a Toshiba user interface over the top as well as two cameras, one on the front for video chat, the other on the back for snapping some lovely photos and HD video. Of course they won’t be the best photos in the world at 3 megapixels strong, but you never know – auto-focus included!

This machine is just 0.4 inches thick and weighs in at 22.6 ounces, coming with a standard microUSB connection for data transfer as well as charging with Toshiba’s own wall adapter. This machine will be popping up with Wi-fi connectivity as well as Bluetooth 3.0, and will be bringing on SRS Premium Voice Pro technology for your dual speakers. These speakers sit on the bottom of the tablet, mind you: great for flat table-users, but not ideal for those of you working with your lap exclusively.

The Toshiba Excite 10 SE will be available starting at $349.99 MSRP beginning on the 6th of December. This machine will be available at select retailers and through Toshiba’s own ToshibaDirect web store right off the bat, and should be a generous competitor for those looking for that perfect slightly less-than-expensive 10-inch Android tablet this holiday season.

This game has 22 levels, 24 puzzles, and 2 worlds per pack. There are two packs – that’s two applications, the second relying on the first to work – each of them with their own set of 22 levels, 24 puzzles, and 2 worlds. Worlds include Jungle of Amazonas, Mountains of Himalaya, Ruins of Egypt, and the Lost continent of Maralidia, and you get your bird companion Sasha the whole way through. This game takes what the original PC and console iterations brought forth and makes a miraculous re-creation here for the mobile environment.

You’ll be working with our good grave-robbing buddy and his fine feathered friend through this lovely collection of levels AS him or the bird. For bird controls you’ll be using your tablet or smartphone’s entire bulk to fly upward or downward – it’s no easy task! Avoid flying too low into the dust – you’ll get lost!

A couple things you may want to look out for before tossing cash towards this two-part beast download of a game: you need 1GB of space on your device for each half of the game. This is no small requirement, especially if you’ve got an 8GB Nexus 7. You’ll also want to be sure you have the first part of the game before you buy the expansion, as the expansion does not work without the first part. You’ll also want to be aware that this game works ONLY on devices running an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor – if you don’t know if your device does, generally Google Play will tell you, but in this case it appears that it’s only after you’ve made the download that the game itself lets you know – be careful!

This game is intensely immersive, full to the max with mind-bogglingly difficult puzzles and high quality graphics you’ll be surprised your mobile device can work with. It would appear that Fatshark has a winner on their hands as far as gigantic Android games go – just so long as you’ve got the space and patience for it: you’re going to go nuts with puzzling levels of death from start to finish!

Hardware

The 10.1-inch display on this device has 1920 x 1200 pixels and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The tablet is 8.8mm thin and weighs 580g – that’s just a bit heavier than it it seems like it should be given the aesthetics of the device. This just means that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, which is 20g heavier than the MediaPad, seems light simply because it’s got plastic on the outside, giant-looking speakers on the front, and a pen built-in. The MediaPad 10 FHD on the other hand does too good a job of hiding it all – but the speakers can certainly be heard loud and clear.

The speakers on this device are nice – Dolby Surround Sound back them up and you do indeed get some impressive blasts when you hold the device the right way or have it propped up with a stand or up against a wall. What I mean is that, like the rest of the past generation of tablets out there, the speakers on this unit are facing the back. Even though we would like them to face the front, they still sound nicer than the vast majority of the smart devices out there – and that includes smartphones.

Above: Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD pictured with its release buddy, the Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL

This device is available in 8, 16, or 32GB internal memory configurations – there’s no microSD slot, so choose wisely on that internal number right out of the box. The battery is 6600 mAh large, you’ll be connecting to the device for charging with a unique port at the bottom. The bottom of this tablet also shows a couple of ports that allow for the keyboard accessory which – sadly – we have not worked with at this time.

The display on this device is relatively sharp at 1920 x 1200 pixels, that placing the pixel density at 224 PPI, well below the iPad 4th gen’s 263.92 PPI and in a different league compared to the Google Nexus 10 which has 300 PPI. If you’ve seen neither of these tablets up close and personal before, you’ll find the MediaTab FHD to be rather bright and sharp.

The tablet is not unlike many, many other high-end tablets on the market right this minute, coming rather close to the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in its appearance and feel – it’s as if Huawei has taken a dash of Apple metal-love and placed it in a mixing pot with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and out popped the MediaPad we’re looking at today.

Software and Performance

The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich you see here is ever-so-slightly modified beyond its vanilla state. It’s not the abilities you’ll have added, but the slight side-steps you’ll be taking that really show you where Huawei was going with the user interface here. One example is the complete absence of an apps drawer – you’ll have everything out in the open here like MIUI or iOS rather than home screens and an app drawer separate.

There are also some slight changes in your standard settings in how you’ll be able to work with your device, but nothing to absolutely write home about. This device is not made to be competing directly with the US market for tablet dominance, so it’s not difficult to see why Huawei wouldn’t push too hard on the features list, especially in the software. You can play movies you’ve downloaded or transferred to the tablet with the standard movie playing app, you can play some MP3s if you wish, or you can straight up rely on Google’s suite of media-playing apps, which certainly is a viable option with Google’s family as mature as it is at the moment.

Above you’re seeing the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD next to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a 3rd generation iPad with Retina display. They don’t look or feel all that different from one another when they’ve got their displays turned off, that’s for sure. See if you can name each tablet by their corners and edges!

Then have a peek at a few benchmarks taking note that this tablet works with Huawei’s own quad-core processor (quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A9 to be exact) but doesn’t quite beat out the competition in a standardized competition. You’ll be able to run many high-powered applications here but don’t expect much more power than you had with your NVIDIA Tegra 2 tablet – don’t be fooled by a simple addition of a couple cores to the name. Have a peek once more at the hands-on video above to see how well it does in everyday switching between apps and you’ll see the truth.

Camera and Battery

This device works essentially as well as the rest of the top-tier Android universe as far as battery life goes, with a massive 6600mAh battery under the hood to keep you up all night. What happens with a tablet – unless you carry it with you all day long – is that you leave it asleep for the major part of your day. When you do this, the machine gets a relatively unfair advantage over the smartphone you’ve got in your pocket as far as battery life goes because it’s not getting punched in the gut all day long with mobile data. It’s true too with this Huawei tablet: because you’re not prone to using it all day long, you’ll be getting several days of battery life if you use it regularly (or 26 days if you don’t use it at all). If you’re a heavy user, expect as short a battery life as 8 hours.

The camera is OK, certainly nothing to write home about. It’s utterly blown away by competitors such as the HTC Jetstream and the Google Nexus 10 tablet from Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1‘s camera takes the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD to the cleaners even though the Note has 5 megapixels under the hood and the MediaPad has 8 – food for thought. The video it captures, on the other hand, is fairly nice.

Wrap-up

This device is a rather nice addition to the Android tablet universe, and certainly offers up a unique option where otherwise you’d be handling either a Samsung tablet or going over to Apple for an iPad. If you’re thinking about grabbing the highest quality Android tablet on the market today, I would still personally point you toward the Galaxy Note 10.1 simply due to its much more well-rounded ecosystem and matured device family. [See: "Smart Device specs are over, long live the ecosystem" column for more information.]

If on the other hand you want to take a fresh look at the Android tablet and don’t mind that your device looks strikingly similar to an original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Huawei is here to back you up. The speaker system is strong, the display is fairly nice, and you’ll definitely be the only one on your block with this tablet, guaranteed. The cost of this device for anyone outside of China will certainly be prohibitive at $600 USD or more, on the other hand, so unless you can get this machine for next-to-nothing, you’ll be better off skipping it and waiting for Huawei to present a more complete package – and a wider release, to boot.

This game is out on the TegraZone and available for download on the Google Play app store for $2.99 – not one whole heck of a lot of cash when you see what this beast is capable of. Back when it was first available as a disk for your computer and Dreamcast, you’d have been shelling out several times that amount just to play in your home. Now you’ll be carrying around this masterpiece on any Tegra 3 toting device you own: Nexus 7 anyone?

The bad guys in this game are called the G’neg, ready to bust your skull open at the drop of a hat, and to defend yourself you’ve got a clone army of “Expendable” units. No relation to the muscle-sploitation films of recent years, mind you, these Expendable clones are made to be your representation on the battlefield, and you just get one at a time. Your prime directive is to leave no survivors, and your secondary mission is to destroy everything – everything!

Also of note: this game was originally designed and made by RAGE NEWCASTLE, a part of RAGE SOFTWARE PLC, but was taken over by license by Funbox Media – they’ve made it possible for you to continue the fun today. This game runs on all sorts of chipsets, but NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor has “all new effects tuned for Tegra hardware”. You’ll be seeing unique water effects, masses of extra particles, and advanced extra shadowing in the full deep dive with NVIDIA!

Check the rest of the NVIDIA TegraZone game collection in our NVIDIA TegraZone tag portal right this minute!

Hardware

The LG Optimus G’s display resolution of 768 x 1280 pixels across 4.7-inches of real-estate rings in at 317.6 PPI, right between the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the iPhone 5 for pixel density. The iPhone 5 (also the 4/4S, being that they’re all the same) works with 326 PPI, and the Galaxy Nexus is literally the next densest display-toting smartphone in the world on the grand chart of them all at 316 PPI. The Samsung Galaxy S III, just so you know, has a screen density of 306 PPI, while the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha has the densest display of them all with 355 PPI, (this followed closely by the HTC Rezound with 342 PPI.

But enough of that display hubub – what we really want to know is if LG can back it up with power to make it blast forth! Of course it can, in this case, with Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor under the hood. With this beast of a system-on-chip rolling out at a clock speed of 1.5Ghz with 2GB of RAM to devour and the Adreno 320 graphics core, you’ll not be left wanting. This device allows the shutting off of two cores if you like – if you only need two cores for normal everyday action, that is – this allowing you to save a whole heck of a lot of power if you’re just an average power-consuming citizen.

You’ll find that this device is slightly larger than your hand unless you’re a giant. In combination with the glossy front, back, and sides – that are also rounded – you might be dropping this beast more than once before you even turn it on. Beyond that, it’s a gorgeous model of an LG, that’s for sure. There’s a notification light that rings around the power button, the cover that sits above your microSD and SIM card slots is held more securely than we’ve ever seen on a smartphone before, that the back panel is a collection of multi-faceted gems under a panel of polycarbonate (LG calls this “Crystal Reflection”). And it all looks nice, very nice.

You’ll be working with 16GB of internal storage with 16GB additional via your microSD card slot (with a 16GB card in it right out of the box). This slot is able to work with a card that’s up to 64GB large, so go big! You’ve also got NFC, BLuetooth 4.0, and a microUSB port on the bottom center that also doubles as MHL for HDMI if you’ve got the right adapter – through it you’ll be able to play 1080p video like a charm. The single speaker appears at first to be the same delivery as in past devices with the tiniest of slits revealing its energy, but here we’ve got rather loud delivery and balanced sounds on the whole.

You’ll be working with an 8 megapixel camera that’s capable of collecting 1080p HD video on the back while you’re front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera is fairly standard, made best for working with video chat. The battery inside is a lovely 2100mAh and is non-removable. The entire back of the device is non-removable as well, the only access you’ll be given being the door with the cards previously mentioned. This device feels and looks extremely solid and high-quality, top to bottom.

Software

This device comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with LG’s newest and most high-quality user interface over the top. As LG likes to say, it’s more of an integration and pairing with Android’s system than it is an overlay as many devices have had in the past – regardless of manufacturer. Here LG presents a rather unique look at the abilities of Android 4.0 with customization, organization re-arranging, and features that Google hasn’t yet moved to their core system- but you wont be surprised when they do in the future.

The apps that come with this device are abundant, and as AT&T is want to do, you’ve got every single angle on the carrier tip. Telenav-powered AT&T Navigator, AT&T Locker (cloud storage), and AT&T Messages are all welcome additions – they all work extremely well and make me glad to be using an AT&T device specifically. LG also adds a collection of their unique apps and features that’ve been appearing on devices of all kinds over the past few months. One example is QuickMemo, allowing you to take a note on a blank page or a screenshot, this app revealed in all its glory back on the LG Optimus Vu (as reviewed by SlashGear as the Verizon-carried 4G LTE LG Intuition).

The app known as LG Tag+ makes full use of this device’s NFC capabilities with instantly-working profiles based on how each of your NFC stickers (sold separately) have been programmed. We’ve got a tag here programmed for “Office” mode which means we’re on wi-fi and want our mobile network shut off so we’re not using up precious data. You can see this ability working in this first hands-on video below – along with a lot of user interface excellence as well.

Another app is Video Wiz, this being the first time we’ve seen it working like a charm – it’s a rather strange (yet appealing) montage-making app that shows not only how silly the mobile universe has become, but how awesome the video-processing powers of this phone are. Watch the video below to see this as well as a feature called QSlide – here allowing you to watch a video in varying levels of transparency while you do other tasks. It only works for videos that are actually on your device, and has us completely baffled on why it exists at all – if someone can explain why someone would want to have a half-transparency video playing while they do any other task, please let us know.

Of course there is one obvious reason, as it was with the video editing app: QSlide might be best at showing the power of the processor in this device. You’ll also see this power existing in a variety of HD games we’ve got on tap right this minute. Start your gaming journey off right with a bit of the ol’ Asphalt 7 from Gameloft:

Next have a bit more car-on-car action entertainment with Indestructible from glu – it’s all the destroying of automotive with more guns than you’ve ever seen in a racing game before! This would be because it’s not a racing game at all, but a destruction derby with death wishes and wishes for murder ready for hours of fun. And it’s got a collection of rather-smart bots running around in it that not just any processor would be able to handle.

The final game you’ll see here is Wild Blood. This is another game from Gameloft, this time working with the Unreal engine for massive graphics power from top to bottom. Notice the hefty sword wielding and screen utilization – and all the killing of the monsters, to boot!

Benchmarks

This device destroys the competition almost without fail. Qualcomm brought on their Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor earlier this year and it very much appeared to have NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor on the ropes (see the HTC One X AT&T review to see that match-up). Now we’ve got four cores from the same company and they’re burying the rest of the processor architecture left and right. Have a peek at a few examples here.

And of course pay attention to the hands-on videos most of all throughout this review to get a real example of the true power this device has. Benchmarks can say a lot, but it’s the real working and playing that you’ll want to know the most.

Camera

The camera on this device has been changed ever so slightly coming over the sea, with our first look at this smartphone being in its international edition with 13 megapixels backing it up. There is another iteration of this device on a different carrier here in the USA with the same (or a rather similar) 13 megapixel camera as the original, but from what we’ve seen, this 8 megapixel camera is the winner across the board.

Ever so slightly truer colors in low-light and what appears to be a bit more ease in executing a final product – the 13 megapixel camera, needless to say, should not be your deciding factor when deciding between iterations here (data speed should be). The camera here is not perfect on the AT&T version of the device, but it certainly benefits from Qualcomm’s dedicated image processing power in the Snapdragon S4 Pro inside, and you will be able to knock out quality shots along the same lines as your favorite smartphones on the market today.

If you’re looking for the nicest smartphone camera on the market, this isn’t it (it’s the Nokia PureView 808) but you will not be let down if you’re willing to take the time to get the hang of it. For you camera addicts out there heading to AT&T specifically: try this device, the iPhone 5, and the HTC One X+ (or the X if the X+ isn’t out when you get there) to decide between the best. There’s also the Nokia Lumia 920 which we’ve not yet gotten to test – we shall see soon for the final Autumn battle.

Have a peek at a few different sorts of shots here in this section and in the final gallery below as well. There are a vast number of effects and shooting modes you can use, filters, panorama, non-stop shot, and a special feature shooting mode that takes photos “before” you take your final shot – that’s called “Time catch shot” and the only time it’ll come in handy is if you’re standing still and you want to capture the precise moment at which your child is smiling perfectly. Have a peek at this cat example first, then see some standard shots right after, along with some video as well.

Battery

With a quad-core processor and 4G LTE running with an ultra-bright IPS+ LCD display up front, it’s not difficult to see how this device’s 2100mAh battery would have trouble keeping up with day-to-day activities. If you’re worried about how quickly you’ll drain your battery, you can worry yourself right into a less-than-a-few-hours complete drain situation – stream some video, play with some benchmarks, and keep that display at full blast.

If however you’re thinking about conserving your battery, you’ve got several options. This device comes with an Eco mode that’s rather expansive in its options for how your phone will react to you reaching a low battery level. Once you’re down to 30%, for example, you could potentially be using 2 CPU cores instead of 4, your display brightness could be at near-zero, and your app syncing could be turned off entirely. You can also, of course, set your display to automatic brightness (with an added bonus of a brightness base to start with) – all that will do you great favors right alongside Qualcomm’s power-conserving abilities inherent in the S4 Pro – you just have to be smart about it, that’s all.

Wrap-up

This device is the most well-refined package that LG has ever delivered, with a generous amount of processing power, a high-class physical feel, and a final product that finally does justice to the display power LG has been bringing on for months in past devices. This smartphone has a display that’s viewable from all angles – there’s no bad way to see it – and if you’re not against having a glossy front and back, you’ll have a great time feeling like you’ve got a piece of slightly rugged jewelry in your palm.

That’s a bit of the problem though at the same time, with LG appearing to get into a space where they know their design identity, but they’ve not quite perfected setting the device in a human hand. This smartphone is just slightly too wide for my adult male hand, which would be perfectly fine if it weren’t for the gloss across the back and up the sides of the device. With a case or with some grippy backing, this unit will feel great. You’ll certainly be willing to make that extra jump when you see how powerful the heart of this device really is.

With Wild Blood you’ll see the Snapdragon S4 Pro working to keep you on the run between cut-scenes and actual massacring of monsters in no time at all – you’ve got lovely special moves and bashing on your side as well. This game takes a bit of time to load when you first fire it up, otherwise there’s nothing to complain about in the least here on the LG Optimus G. Expect to be waiting a bit longer on devices with only a single core, and for multi-core devices you’ll still want to make sure you’re not pushing any other tasks at the same time – here with the S4 Pro we’ve got no concerns.

Next have a peek at Asphalt 7, a game that if you’re not used to dragging your tail end whilst racing you’ll have a difficult time not crashing into walls with. When you’re playing this game outside an optimized-for-gaming environment, you’ve got definite lag in graphics. Inside the LG Optimus G, everything is smooth as butter.

Finally there’s the many-independent-minds game that is Indestructible. Here we’ve got a Twisted Metal vibe going on with more little vehicles than you’re going to be able to handle. With so many bots coming at you with minds all their own, it’s only your ultra-powerful processor that’s keeping everything working so smoothly.

Stay tuned for more LG Optimus G action as we complete our review this week – the device goes on pre-order for $199 starting tomorrow with AT&T. Will you be picking one up right out of the gate? If you’ve got one whole heck of a lot of questions, be sure to let us know what you need to know in the comments section below! We’ll do our best to answer all queries!

Hardware

This machine is the largest of the several slightly different iterations of the Huawei Ascend D – here with a quad-core processor running at 1.2GHz, an extended battery, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. We got to experience the Huawei Ascend D Quad at MWC 2012 right after it was first introduced, as well. The biggest differences in the hardware are in the weight and the thickness of the device, of course, with this XL version bringing in the slightly fatter of the two beasts. It being rather light and tall either way makes this a comfortable one-hand smartphone.

You’ve got a 129 x 64 x 10.9 mm device at 150 grams, it utilizing a 4.5-inch IPS+ LCD display with 720 x 1280 pixels across it – that’s 326 PPI, matching the iPhone 5. Of course with this device you also get the extra half an inch of screen real-estate as well, to it’s not absolutely perfect for one-handed use if you’re a petite person, but for most large-handed users, it’s perfect. You’ve got a couple of options for connecting to a larger display with this smartphone as well, including both DLNA and MHL – the latter being HDMI with the proper adapter via the microUSB port at the side of the phone.

This device and its release partner, the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD both have DOLBY enhanced sound, here with Dolby Mobile 3.0 Plus sound enhancement. This means that the device sounds good even when it’s blasting – and it does live up to that claim. You can certainly trust this smartphone to be your good MP3-playing partner through your standard headphones, without a doubt.

You’ve also got 8GB internal storage, 1GB of RAM, and a microSD card slot that’ll allow you an additional 32GB of storage if you pop your own card in. You’ve also got an 8 megapixel camera on the back as well as a 1.3 megapixel shooter on the front made for video chat. The back-facing camera is quite impressive, making us think twice about how Huawei is handling their image processing with this new quad-core architecture. They appear to have done something quite right.

This device’s overall feel is that of a refined smartphone made by a company that knows what they’re doing in the top-tier business. While we’ve not seen this impressive an offering from Huawei yet on a USA-based carrier, we’re quite encouraged by what’s been delivered here with the Ascend D quad XL.

Software

The basic navigation between home screens and switching back and forth between apps can get a little bit laggy at times – but if you’re switching from a single-core phone, you’ll never notice it. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S III, this device is lacking quite a bit in the refined user interface department – the same being true of the HTC One X. On the other hand, Huawei does offer up a couple different views for you right out of the box, one of them being standard, the other being their own “3D Home” view.

With the 3D version of Huawei’s look at Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, you’ll see a lovely widget with your clock and weather information, some interesting switching between home screens, and a slightly odd feeling to it all. It reminds one of homescreens from SPB Shell 3D – also appearing on some ViewSonic devices we saw earlier this year at MWC 2012 (in a different iteration, of course). Sadly it would appear that this view doesn’t run as swiftly as standard Android does, so we ended up opting out more than in on the whole.

Otherwise we’ve got a fairly basic view of Android here from Huawei, and for that we’re thankful. They’ve offered up a security app that’ll protect anything you need on the device, bringing with it a lock for the homescreen (in addition to your standard Android lock), one for apps, and another one on top of all that as well. This device’s drivers support DOLBY sound and it does sound rather nice blasting out of its single main speaker on the back – of course as always, we’re looking to get that big beast set up on the front, where all speakers should be, in the end.

Have a peek at some benchmarks below and make your own judgements on how lovely the device functions based on real-world flipping around. Also note that we do have a test device, this meaning that we might not have absolutely final software when it comes down to it. This is a final bit of hardware, on the other hand, so trust it!

Camera

Now that the camera has finally been placed front and center in the quality of smartphones all around the world, Huawei had to make a big jump in effort here in this machine’s main shooter. They’ve done a rather nice job, as it were, with 8 megapixels working to a rather high potential and 1080p video not looking half bad either. This is Huawei’s nicest camera execution, for certain.

Battery and Connectivity

Because we’re not inside the main arena where carriers will be working with this device, we’re not going to be doing any speed tests as such. We can certainly say that it’s connected to wi-fi networks like a champ, running just as fast as any other smartphone or tablet we’ve ever seen come through from anywhere on the planet. Connecting to data using an AT&T SIM card had similar results, reaching OK data speeds never getting quicker than our fastest 3G speeds.

As for the battery – we were certainly expecting a lot from the processor since the increase in battery size is not that giant an issue anymore here in the “future” 2012. WIth processors like the Snapdragon S4 and the NVIDIA Tegra 3 making it clear that battery life can and will be dictated by how well the device’s SoC is managing power needs, Huawei had to step up their game here with their own quad-core chip. As it turns out, they’ve done pretty well. Notice that we still get hammered when the display is on full brightness, but that standby is fairly good and regular daily action doesn’t smash the life out of it as is often the case with lesser phones.

Wrap-up

This device is Huawei’s finest execution of a smartphone yet, and it paves the way for the company to continue delivering lovely Android-toting amalgamations in the future. With Huawei being able to successfully create a beast such as this, we’re encouraged at the company aiming at the USA for releases on US-based carriers for the near future with heroes of their own. If Huawei is able to deliver hero smartphones and tablets up to the quality we’re seeing here with their own brand attached – rather than hidden as it has been for their last several USA-based releases – they’ll have a real shot at expanding in North America.

Be sure to let us know if you’ve got any additional questions about the Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL in a comment below and stay tuned as we continue to check Huawei’s offerings in the future! Also have a peek at the timeline below to see our history with this device family specifically.

On the back of this device you’ve got an 8 megapixel shooter with dual-LED flash and autofocus while the front works with a 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat. You’ve got double channel speakers with Dolby Surround Sound that Huawei promises will blow your face off – and what do you know, it’s a surprisingly powerful set of speakers. With a display and speakers combo like this, we’ll certainly be working with Google Movies to make it a lovely night in with popcorn to boot.

This tablet works with a quad-core processor made by Huawei itself, here with 1.5Ghz on its CPU clock rather than 1.2GHz as it was on the smartphone. This device works with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box, and measures in at 257.4 × 175.9 width and height. Have a peek at a couple of benchmarks in the gallery below to get an idea of where this tablet stands in the world of Android competitors.

You can get this device in 8, 16, and 32GB internal memory iterations, and you’ve got 2GB of RAM no matter what you choose. We’re working with Bluetooth 3.0 here and have GPS, an Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, compass, vibration feedback, and a massive 6600mAh batter to keep the device powered all night and day. You’ve got a 3.5mm headphone jack as well and built-in MIC for sound recording.

In some areas of the world you’ll be able to use this device with 4G LTE – we’ll have to wait and see how this adds up as this tablet hits the market soon. Meanwhile we’re going to be giving the Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD a full review right here on SlashGear – let us know if you’ve got any questions as we make this happen, and we’ll do our best to work with everything you need to know!

This device has 8GB of ROM, 1GB of RAM, and connects to your computer or a wall charger with a standard microUSB plug. You’ve got an 8 megapixel camera on the back capable of 1080p video, there’s a secondary camera on the front working at 1.3 megapixels capable of 720p video, and inside you’ve got Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. The biggest reason this device should raise your radar is the processor, of course, it being a quad-core beast from Huawei itself coming in at 1.2GHz.

This quad-core processor appears very much to be doing quite well for itself in our initial benchmark tests, busting up Quadrant Standard with a CPU score of 11373, this just a bit less than the HTC One X and the Transformer Prime. The I/O, on the other hand, is a massive 6494, well outperforming both devices. Of course these tests don’t count for everything, and we’ll be letting our own hands-on everyday use decide what’s best for the average consumer.

It’s important to note that we’re working with a Sample Unit, this meaning that it’s possible that the final product won’t be exactly the same as we’re seeing here. The specifications will likely be pretty much the same, but processor clock speeds, Android version, and firmware builds may be different – we shall see. Also of note is the fact that this device carries a 2600 mAh battery rather than a 1800 mAh, as the original (non-XL) version of the device did.

This device is also relatively heavy, carrying with it a variety of technologies that Huawei appears to have not concentrated on in the weight department. We’ll also see if this trade-off is worth it in our full review, coming up sooner than later! Let us know if you’ve got any questions in comments below for that post as well!

This game has a bevy of options including four playable characters, two game modes, and two full maps. These options will expand once the full version of the game is released, but for now it’s time to practice your death skills in a limited fashion. The beta test includes a soldier, mutant, assassin, and a dancer – we’ll leave that last one to you to see for yourself. The two game modes available here at the start are DeathMatch and Zone Control, with the first being a shoot-die-regenerate model with a clock and lots of red.

This release is made specifically for you beta testers out there to try out for free and give lots of feedback to NVIDIA and the creators of the game, Madfinger. With your massive amount of destructive tools on-hand and a perfectly playable iteration out right this second, you’ll have to stop yourself every once in a while and write down your thoughts – you’ll get lost in the destruction if you don’t.

* Weapons – Bandit (SMG), Vega (Attack Rifle), Big Boy (Machinegun), Spate (Plasma Rifle), Mace (Shotgun), Osog (Sniper), Sh*tStorm (Rocket Launcher)
* Gadgets (Sprint, Medi Kit, Ammo Kit, Flash Bang, EMP Grenade, Frag Grenade, Sentry Gun, Mine)

Your feedback can be sent in-game with the Feedback button – make it so! This game will be out in full rather soon, so you’d better get your practice time in right this minute. You can find yours truly in the game at username “Burnsy” – let’s have a round or two! You can download the game now – again, for free – on the [Google Play app store]. Go for it!

Hardware

This device is 259.8mm x 178mm x 11.65mm (9.3″ x 6.5″ x 0.46″) in size and 570g, that is, just under 1.3lbs. The device is certainly not the lightest 9-inch tablet on the market, nor is it the thinnest – but it sounds great. It’s got 2 stereo speakers with SRS Surround Sound, both of them with ever-so-slightly raised bits of plastic near their grilles to assure sound delivery even if the device is flat.

You’ve got a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front for video chat and a 3.0 megapixel camera on the back that takes OK photos and video – don’t expect to get too many masterpieces from either unit. See a few examples of the quality of this device’s main camera lower in this review. The sound collection quality is surprisingly decent, on the other hand, with one mic hole on the left and the other on the right of the device, this aiding in sound cancellation.

The ports you get around this device are relatively abundant for how expensive the device is, starting with a microUSB port on the right side near a micro-HDMI port for HD video output. The quality of the video you get here to an HDTV (provided you’ve got the right cable) is generally good – not spectacular, but certainly good enough for basic Google Play video and YouTube viewing. You’ve also got a basic combo jack for your headphones and microphone if you’d like, too.

You can get this device in 8GB and 16GB internal storage iterations and right under the top-back panel you’ve got a microSD card slot where you can expand your memory by another 32GB if you wish. The overall build quality of the tablet is rather high, with Lenovo letting us know that they’re not skimping on the construction just because it’s not a laptop or a desktop unit.

The display, on the other hand, is of a surprisingly lower-quality build than the rest of the device. The viewing angles are OK for the most part save – believe it or not – the top angle which does a color-flip once you’re at about 45 degrees. It’s a bummer, but if you’re the kind of person that keeps your tablet flat on the table most of the time, you’ll have a fine time. You’ll want to check this out in the store before you pick it up for this reason alone.

Software

This unit works with Lenovo’s own flavor of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – this means there are a few modifications in the way you move back and forth between homescreens and you’ve got a vast collection of apps right out of the box. You also have some lovely widgets that are essentially giant folders where you can store your apps, get weather information, access music you’ve got stored on the device, and write notes.

You’ll want to check out our hands-on with the device in the video in this post to see how the software functions – there are a few hiccups here and there due to what we must assume is a firmware build that’ll be updated by Lenovo in the future. Lag here and there and some tiny one-pixel-row skips. Nothing to get too bent out of shape over.

The list of apps that you get in this device, if I’ve not said it enough already, certainly appears large compared to its competition. GO Keyboard, AccuWeather, Amazon Kindle, Lenovo App Shop, Cut the Rope HD, Docs to Go, ES File Explorer, Evernote, GameTanium, Lenovo Registration, LoPokeTALK for low-priced calls (for real, really), News Republic, Norton Security, ooVoo, PrinterShare for Lenovo, Skype, SugarSync, Wi-fi Direct, and Zinio – and these are only the apps added by Lenovo, there’s also the full set of Google apps you get with basically every Android device on the regular – the list also changes based on which region you pick this device up in.

This device is designed for the first-time Android user – one who wants to see what a variety of apps can do without looking for them first on the Google Play app store. If that’s you, you’ll feel perfectly comfortable in this environment. There’s also a lovely app simply called “UI Intro” that shows a video for your benefit – a lovely presentation of the user interface on your device – and it looks nice!

Camera

The camera on the back – all 3 megapixels of it – is in place for basic shooting only. Don’t expect it to perform any miracles. That said, if you’re into the Instagram scene, you’ll have some great success. Have a peek at some examples of highest-definition-possible photos and video.

Battery Life and Benchmarks

With the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor under the hood here with 1.2Ghz clock speed, you’ve got what’s basically the best piece of architecture in the whole device. NVIDIA’s constructed a processor that makes this device run smoothly – for the most part – with its only limits appearing to be the user interface in certain areas which seem to lag upon opening. Having seen the processor in action on several tablets in the past, I’d say these oddities have more to do with the software build than they have to do with the hardware – but in the end it’s always a combination of the two.

Have a peek at the basic benchmarks we’ve run on this device above and check the battery time below as well. This device benefits from the “ninja” 5th core in the processor (the Tegra 3 actually has 5 cores, the 5th only running when the device doesn’t need to be running high-demand tasks) – here the A2109 Lenovo tablet uses this architecture well, with battery life that does great on a regular basis.

Wrap-up

This device is a good effort from Lenovo, but put up in a competition against the rest of the Tegra 3 tablets we’ve seen, it’s just a bit lacking. If you’re looking for a 9-inch tablet with NVIDIA processing power inside it, this is your best bet, that’s for certain – especially if you just want it to be your radio all on its own: the speakers are really worth a listen. The A2109 really does have the power to run next-generation apps too, and you’ll have full access to the NVIDIA TegraZone app collection as well.

This device will run you $299, and for that price you’ll not be finding another tablet like the A2109. You can of course pick up a Nexus 7 for $199 – but that’s smaller than this. You could get an iPad mini (if it does indeed exist in a few weeks), but that won’t have Android, of course, and it certainly wont have a 9-inch display. Basically the final verdict is this: with a unique build, you won’t find Lenovo’s offering here lacking if you want it for a media-delivery system – unless the display will trip you up: check it out in the store, you simply must.

These MSM8225Q and MSM8625Q processor have four CPU cores each and will support LPDDR2 memory as well as dual-SIM support. This new architecture will increase bus bandwidth for 720p video encode and decode as well as 720p device displays. The MSM8225Q has an integrated UMTS modem while the MSM8625Q works with Qualcomm’s own integrated multimode UMTS/CDMA modem. Both processors will be bringing on support for FM radio, Bluetooth 4.0, wi-fi connectivity, and Qualcomm Atheros AR6005 and WCN2243 chips.

There’s another processor in the works as well, that being the Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8930 made for supporting all China operators with UMTS, CDMA and TD-SCDMA. This processor was announced back in February 2011 and will be popping up by the end of 2012 and shipping on commercial devices by the first quarter of 2013. This processor is dual-core and supports 4G LTE with an integrated LTE modem. That’s LTE-TDD and TD-SCDMA support in China – soon!

Each of the three processors mentioned here will have their own Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) versions with comprehensive handset development platforms as well as Qualcomm support for their ecosystem of fabulous technologies. Get pumped up about the next generation of Qualcomm processors as Snapdragon continues to find its way into some of the biggest names in smartphone technology – great things are ahead!

While we can’t fully confirm what we are looking at, according to Mobile01 Forum this is the box for the Padfone 2, calling the post “Padfone 2 specs revealed.” The details on the box shown in the image above seem to mirror many of the rumors as of late, including the recently leaked benchmark. The Padfone part 2 is looking quite nice.

If the leak is to be believed, the Padfone 2 will be sporting a 4.7-inch 1280x720p HD display although the box confusingly says both Super AMOLED and IPS+, but it can’t be both. Then the brand new quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro will be under the hood, along with 2GB of RAM, and an impressive 13 megapixel camera. Sounds like the LG Optimus G if you ask us. The specs however, are all about the phone and not the accompanying tablet.

Other specs include a HSPA+ model, 4G LTE (in select regions) and a decently sized 2,140 mAh battery for the smartphone. It’s also being listed as just 9mm thin, so it should be a bit lighter and thinner than the original Padfone. Either way we’ll learn all the details on October 16th in Milan and Taipei as ASUS unveils the new Padfone 2.

[via PocketDroid]

Since the LG Optimus G is the newest to join the pack lets take a loot at its specs first. LG’s calling this smartphone their new flagship device full of “groundbreaking features.” They’ve improved their display technology that brings the TrueHD IPS+ 1280 x 768 resolution 4.7-inch display closer to the glass for an in your face vivid and colorful experience, and added Qualcomm’s latest and greatest 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro for absolute power. This is the first device powered by Qualcomm’s new S4 Pro “krait” processor and we have high hopes for it considering how well it performed on the developer tablet.

LG’s tossed in 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a massive 13 megapixel camera on the rear for what they’re claiming will be the best smartphone camera in the world. Just reading off that initial spec list this smartphone is clearly near the top spot. On the back is a unique battery cover with LG’s own patented Crystal Reflection process, which gives a 3D illusion that makes it a beauty to hold — according to LG. This covers the 2,100 mAh battery under the hood that will be powering Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

So how does this fair against the competition? Pretty darn good. Nothing can compete with this except for the Samsung Galaxy S III and maybe, just maybe the HTC One X. The original dual-core S4 processor held its own against the Tegra 3-touting HTC One X and it’s 4.7-inch SLCD display — so it’s safe to say this quad-core version should outpace the One X in all areas. Add in the thinner design, larger battery, and better camera on the Optimus G there really isn’t a need for discussion.

So that leaves us with the Galaxy S III, the current flagship and talk of the Android atmosphere — if you don’t count the Galaxy Note II. This is where things get a little interesting because the Galaxy S III competes with or beats the Optimus G in all hardware areas except the camera. Samsung’s flagship phone rocks their own in-house Exynos 4 Quad 1.4 GHz processor that performs extremely well, while their US Galaxy S III is powered by Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4. The Optimus G has that same Snapdragon S4 only its been doubled and is the quad-core Pro version. This makes for truly a one-of-a-kind smartphone with unparalleled power.

The Galaxy S III has a slightly larger 4.8-inch (1280x720p) resolution display while LG’s is 4.7-inches and offers a slightly higher pixel density coming in at 1280×768. Samsung’s AMOLED tech has always looked great but so does LG’s IPS+ displays with stunning viewing angles and deep, rich colors. It’s tough to really say what is best or will continue to be the best at the moment especially with Samsung already having a clear lead in the market with 20 million sales strong. Until we get more time with the all new LG Optimus G we’ll have to leave it to you guys to decide and debate.

Do you own the Galaxy S III or HTC One X, or have you been waiting for the next level of smartphones to arrive — like the LG Optimus G?

It’s hard to fault the hardware, certainly. The 4.7-inch True HD IPS+ display, offering 1280 x 768 WXGA resolution, is bright, vividly colorful, and contrast-rich, a solid alternative to Super AMOLED Plus. The in-cell touchscreen technology leaves graphics floating right beneath your fingertip, and the whole thing is responsive and swift. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro helps here; LG may not have its own chipset, but the new 1.5GHz processor at the heart of the Optimus G is a hugely capable one. LG has sensibly paired it with 2GB of RAM and at least 32GB of storage.

There are a few obvious blots on the scoresheet, however. Ice Cream Sandwich is better than Gingerbread, certainly, but it’s not Android 4.1 Jelly Bean; the absence of the latest OS is unlikely to pacify those who have been stung by late or entirely absent software upgrades on previous LG phones. At least it runs with no real noticeable lag on the S4 Pro, though it does miss out on Google’s latest Project Butter improvements to UI performance.

It’s hard not to be a least a little impressed by the overall Optimus G package, though. It’s a handsome phone, and while the shifting, refracting rear glass effect may not be to everyone’s taste, it’s certainly leagues ahead of the dull black plastic of some earlier high-end LG devices. It certainly raises the bar for future PRADA collaborations, with the designer phone now feeling somewhat fussy in comparison.

In the hand, it’s surprisingly compact given the size of the display. LG has managed to edge ahead of the Galaxy S III in terms of thickness, coming in at 8.45mm versus the Samsung’s 8.6mm, but more usefully it’s a slightly narrower, shorter device, which makes for something more comfortable to hold and easier to fit into a pocket. The Optimus G feels solid, too, and flex-free despite the slimline profile.

LG still has plenty to prove with the Optimus G, and it won’t be able to do all that on launch day. Delivering consistent software improvements is an integral part of the Android experience now, and LG needs to prove that it can deliver on that rather than leave its new flagship behind. We’ll have more on the LG Optimus G in our full review.

Unboxing Optimus G – Korean Version

Optimus G demo by Dr. Nho

This device works with 1280 x 768 True HD IPS+ across its 4.7-inch screen and will be popping up with 2GB of RAM under the hood. LG is bringing the fire this time around with a styling not unlike the LG Intuition with its rubbery back and simple black outline but brings with it a smartphone-sized experience. Qualcomm will be holding this device up as a hero as well as it’s the first to be coming to the market with its 1.5GHz quad-core architecture.

This device’s advertisement video spot shows off how the device works with 4G LTE and an ultra-powerful camera, likely 8 megapixels or larger. What we’ve heard thus far on the camera front as a possibility is a 13-megapixel shooter on the back, but we’ll know the full truth only when the device is officially unveiled! For now we’ve only to watch and enjoy the device as a fun experience without specification confirmation.

Check the timeline below to see more information on the LG Optimus G before it pops up in full motion soon and very soon!

The LG Optimus G is a device that’s been confirmed not only to exist but to be working with the processor mentioned above. This device’s design looks rather similar to the final form of the LG Intuition – a device we’re reviewing right this minute – including a rubbery back and a single speaker grill as well as a corner-sitting camera lens. This device appears rather simple otherwise, save for the in-cell touch technology, of course.

In-cell touch allows the device’s touchscreen technology and the display to be integrated into one unit, allowing the whole device to be much thinner. This smartphone uses a tiny 3mm bezel for near edge-to-edge display action, with the display being a True HD (1280 x 768 pixel resolution) IPS+ LCD. Fabulousness is ready here soon in the USA one way or another, but the device has already been announced else where too – NTT Docomo in Japan and on unnamed carriers in Korea as well.

Check our LG Optimus G timeline below and stay tuned on the 19th of this month for more information on LG’s next generation of smartphone power!

This game has you blasting forth in a buggy that’s customized by you in a race not against physical enemies – not in a traditional sense – but time itself. Collect coins to gain more time in your clock and make sure you’re not out in the middle of nowhere when the buzzer rings. Once you’ve collected enough coins, you can spend them on upgrades from the shop – and you can trick your car out to the max, as well. The entire game consists of you moving forward into excellence while you destroy all manner of explodable objects.

Of course there’s a bit of real-time shadow rendering as well – and it’s all so simple: you’ll be running this fantasy of effects on your quad-core processor-toting Tegra 3 device straight from the TegraZone today! This game has both been announced and released by Vector Unit in collaboration with NVIDIA, and we want YOU to get into it. In addition to the hands-on experience you’re about to have in this video, you’ll be invited to a giveaway of ours later this week.

UPDATE: It appears that there’s been a delay in releasing this game to the Google Play app store and TegraZone for now, but stay tuned as it’s delivered soon!

That’s right, you’re going to want to write this one down: later today on both SlashGear and Android Community we’re having a Beach Buggy Blitz event that’ll be lasting several days – and you’re going to want to get involved! For the time being though, have a peek at the hands-on video above and check the game out on the TegraZone right now, or head straight to the Google Play app store immediately if not soon to pick Beach Buggy Blitz up for yourself. It’s not to be missed.

Several years ago, such gameplay was relegated to consoles which were made specifically for such gigantic graphic tasks. With the current age of quad-core processors here on mobile devices such as the Nexus 7 (the device we’re having a peek at this game on), we’re able to do this and a whole lot more for a whole lot cheaper. The game Horn takes the Old English tales of King Horn and loosely crafts them into a magical arena of battle and exploration.

This game has you, Horn, moving through a village “overrun by fantastic, and sometimes humorous, monsters”. That said, you’ll have to make it through without giggling yourself to your doom – but you’ll have help! There’s a little beast that you carry around with you that sometimes spits some nastiness as the story moves on.

You’ll be working on enemies weak points, hitting heavy armor in all the wrong places, and working your way through waves of bosses, sub bosses, and “Golden Enemies” – cut them down for rare item drops! You’ll be collecting items, too – make sure you’re aware of what your carrying so you can be all you can be in the kill zone. There’s also an in-game store, a forge where you can upgrade your gear, weapons, amulets, and all sort of other items to rummage through.

There’s even a massive guide online you’ll want to find your way through if you want to survive your first few adventures – you might need it! This game is out (or will be very soon) on the NVIDIA TegraZone as well as the Google Play app store today – and it’s out for the iPad and iPhone as well starting earlier this month – grab it!

This device is set to bring a slimmed down design to the market with a casing that’s between 35 and .47 inches thick and it’s much lighter than the previous model at just 1.26 pounds. This device has a massive 6,000mAh battery and is made to work with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The tablet is slated to move forward to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean soon, as well.

This device comes with the Watch Now app for live TV viewing, they’ve got a Guest Mode for working with multiple users on one device, and the whole thing works with Sony’s Music and Video Unlimited as well. The tablet comes with 5GB of space with Sony’s new cloud storage service PlayMemories, and is ready to rock in early September.

So early, in fact, that you’ll be able to get this device on September 7th, with pre-orders starting today. Prices will be $400 for the 16GB model, 32GB for $500 and the 64GB for $600. This device also has several accessories coming too, with a charging cradle, stand, dock speaker, and carrying case set up right out of the gate.

With the Vivo Tab you’ll be working with a 0.33-inch thickness – that’s without the dock. There’s an 8 megapixel camera on the back of the tablet piece with autofocus and LED flash, and there’s a 2 megapixel camera on the front. Inside you’ve got an Intel Atom CPU paired with 2GB of RAM. There’s also 64GB of storage built-in here and the device is coming stocked with NFC abilities as well. This tablet works with 10-point multitouch on its lovely 11.6-inch display, and it’ll support a Wacom digitizer input as well.

The Vivo Tab RT is of course running Windows RT rather than the Vivo Tab’s Windows 8. The Vivo Tab RT is coming with a 10.1-inch IPS display with 1,366 x 768 resolution. Inside you’ve got the lovely NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor with 12 GPU cores for graphic excellence, and you’ll be working with 2GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. Just like the Vivo Tab, the Vivo Tab RT has NFC capabilities as well.

The docking keyboard you’ll be working with in both units is unique to the unit and will be coming with a full QWERTY set of keys, trackpad, 2 USB ports, and more battery power than you’ll know what to do with. Pricing and availability on both units is not yet known – stay tuned for more ASUS action this week at IFA 2012!

This isn’t one whole heck of a lot more information coming with this release of information from Qualcomm and LG, but there’s certainly a lot to look forward to. With the Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor we’ve seen in a variety of devices here in the United States thus far, we’re definitely pumped up. With the Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core benchmarks we’ve seen thus far, there’s no knowing how powerful these LG devices are going to be – big time!

The quad-core CPU Snapdragon S4 Pro processor will be able to work with 4G LTE as well as 3G and of course, global connections galore. As it was with the dual-core version of the S4, so too is it with the Pro, not just multi-core processing power, but imaging powers as well – take photos like a madman! You’ll be able to play games that are more amazing than ever before! You’ll be able to open up so many web browser windows that you’ll be visiting every portal on SlashGear at once – just like you’ve always wanted!

Have a peek at our S4 Pro timeline below to get more details on this quad-core monster coming out soon, very soon!

The handset is powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chip, the APQ8064, a quad-core 28nm-based SoC clocked at 1.5Ghz. The company was keen to show off benchmarks using various apps such as AnTuTu and Quadrant, with the phone clocking 14085 and 7787 respectively. The handset is also powered by 2GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of memory, with the 4.3-inch IPS display manufactured by Sharp. The pixel density works out at 342 PPI, beating out the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S III, and HTC One X. The touchscreen also makes use of in-cell technology which decreases thickness, something that Apple is rumored to be using for the next iPhone.

A 27mm eight megapixel camera with backside illuminated sensor is found on the rear of the phone, and a 28mm two megapixel camera has been placed on the front. The main camera is capable of recording 1080p video at 30fps, or 720p at 90fps. The standard phone comes with a 2,000mAh battery, but those who want to get through a full day and then some can pick up a 3,000mAh option that will increase the thickness of the phone by 2mm.

The Xiaomi Phone 2 will be running a custom MIUI interface, but it will be on top of the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean. The company will be offering the handset for an unsubsidized price of ¥1,999 (~$314), but Chinese carriers such as China Telecom and China Unicom will be offering the HSPA+ phone for lower prices as part of a contract. The only question left to ask is when can we get our hands on one?

The improved version of the HTC One X is expected to retain its NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, but it will receive a bump in clock speed to 1.7Ghz. The battery will also be improved – we’re assuming HTC will increase the capacity – and a new color option will be on offer, which should please those looking for something other than white or grey.

The handset will be bundled with Beats headphones just like the HTC One X and other HTC phones, with Stuff also hearing word that current HTC accessories will continue to work without any trouble with the refreshed model, suggesting that the design of the handset won’t be radically different. Meanwhile, HTC will add ClearVoice to “improve call quality”, which sounds similar to HD Voice offered on certain carriers’ handsets.

Finally, HTC Watch 2, an improved version of the company’s video streaming service, will be bundled with the new handset. Pricing hasn’t been finalized, but Stuff believes UK carriers will offer the refreshed model on tariffs £5 more expensive than the current HTC One X. The handset is expected to be released around October 1st, just in time to go toe-to-toe with the Galaxy Note II and the next iPhone.

With NVIDIA already being a part of the Wi-Fi Alliance, they’re more than ready to bring Tegra up to spec with a wide array of Miracast-certified devices. With Miracast, wireless streaming is as easy as pie and the quality with which its streamed is just as high definition as any other competing technology on the market today! You’ll not only be able to stream HD video and photos, you’ll be able to wirelessly play games like Riptide THD and Shadowgun as well!

Above you’ll see a video which outlines everything NVIDIA is doing with Miracast to bring you the next generation of wireless goodness. NVIDIA is working with their OEM partners right this minute to bring the technology you see before you to the market as soon as possible, and with programs such as the TegraZone and a collection of fabulous HD content ready to roll, you’ll be blasting forth in no time!

Without getting too technical here the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 developer tablet kit contains a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and is running on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. This 10.1-inch display running a 1366 x 768 resolution is going to be put through its paces but for now here’s a quick glance at a few of the popular Android benchmark apps. Quadrant blew through the roof posting numbers nearing 8000, and AnTuTu clearly was ahead of the other quad-core options available today.

Being a developer based platform this tablet isn’t something any consumer will see, but we’ll still give a quick input on performance. Usual tasks such as browsing the web, scrolling through webpages, heading to the Google Play Store and more are all extremely buttery smooth. Android 4.0 ICS is on board, instead of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but performance is still quite swift.

With popular tests such as Quadrant and AnTuTu we clearly see some extremely impressive results. Boasting nearly 8k in Quadrant was plenty exciting, considering most devices are lucky to break 5000 — those of which are all running Qualdcomm’s dual-core S4 processor. Anything older isn’t quite as lucky, and that includes some other quad-core options on the market. Vellamo, Qualcomm’s own in-house benchmark suite that focuses on web browsing also takes charge and scores well with their new quad-core. Results aren’t as chart topping as the others, but certainly shows some real progress.

While this is just a MDP device geared at developers, it’s already clearly beating the Nexus 7, and Samsung’s Exynos 4 Quad powered Galaxy S III easily. These devices don’t give us an idea of battery life so that is still up in the air, but Qualcomm promises “all-day battery life.” For now take a quick glance at the results below. We’ll continue to update with additional screenshots and more tests, but Qualcomm has another winner here to top the charts. We can expect to see the new S4 pro quad-core arriving in devices later this year.

Qualcomm’s new MDP (Mobile Development Platform) APQ8064 kit contains the same 10.1-inch display as we’ve seen on previous developer devices, as well as multiple ports, fingerprint scanners, 13 megapixel cameras and more. It even has 7 microphones on this thing. Running on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, their new quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM — once again those four processing cores.

Obviously this device is a developer product — especially for $1,299 — but it includes the tablet, a charging dock with two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, and even Ethernet. One of the added benefits of the new APQ8064 platform is the Adreno 320 GPU (graphics processing unit) which should pack about 4 times the graphical punch than the previous version. We’ve quickly ran a few benchmarks and are seeing amazing results but that will be coming shortly. Developers can jump in starting right now for the low price of $1,299 at the link below.

[via BSQUARE]

Qualcomm has been a strong competitor in the mobile space for more years than we can remember. As I’m sure many of you already know, their powerful dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 is powering many of the most powerful smartphones available today. Devices like HTC’s One X (AT&T) to Samsung’s new Flagship Galaxy S III smartphone. These dual-core devices have extremely impressive performance from games, daily tasks, browsing, and of course battery life.

What separates Qualcomm from the others in the mobile market is part of what we’ll be sharing throughout the day here at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile benchmark workshop. We’ll be hearing tons about their new quad-core adventures, smartphones, tablets, 4G LTE, and benchmarks — since we know you all love benchmarks. Stay tuned here at SlashGear!

The dual-core processor found in the Galaxy S II was clocked at 1.2Ghz, while the Galaxy Note launched with a 1.4Ghz clock speed. The benchmarks (which have since been pulled) show the results of the slightly higher clock speed on the Galaxy Note II, with the device coming out slightly ahead of the Galaxy S III. GLBenchmark also indicates that the screen resolution will be 1280×720, marking a shift away from a 16:10 aspect ratio to 16:9. That would also account for rumors indicating the screen would be slightly larger at 5.5-inches without increasing the dimensions of the Note.

The Note II looks to be running Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Reports have suggested that the Note II will also feature an improved 8-megapixel camera, and a slightly change in design to bring it closer to the Galaxy S III. Samsung is hoping to unveil the device on August 30th in order to launch it ahead of the next iPhone. That should lead to a quicker release in the United States too, with the original Note featuring a large gap between the release of the international model and the American variants.

[via Phone Arena]