Huawei Vision review: Farsighted

With Incredibly Fast and About to Take Off written across their flag, Huawei took this year's MWC by a storm. Firing up on all cores - four of them, in case you've missed it - they pinned themselves emphatically on the Android map with an impressive new lineup of smartphones and a shocker of a tablet.

Their rise didn't happen overnight of course. And although we're about to look back at a less glorious chapter of their history, phones like the Vision and the Honor deserve credit for helping the company get where they're now.

So, what about the Huawei Vision? Incredibly like an HTC Desire S and About as Smart makes a good motto. Come on, the Vision is no droid if it can't take a joke. And by the way, it looks strong enough to take a beating.

Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA3.7" 16M-color capacitive LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)Android OS v2.3.5 GingerbreadSPB Shell 3D launcher preloadedQualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset, 1 GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, 512 MB of RAM and 2 GB ROM5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging720p video recording @ 30fpsWi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA, hotspot functionalityGPS with A-GPSmicroSD slot, up to 32GBAccelerometer and proximity sensorStandard 3.5 mm audio jackStereo FM radio with RDSmicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1Front facing cameraCompact aluminum unibodyBelow-par sunlight legibilityNo dedicated camera keyNo video calling out of the boxNon-user-replaceable batterySPB Shell 3D launcher looks messyNon-hot-swappable microSD slot

The Vision reports to the Honor in the previous generation of the Huawei Android lineup. By far the better-equipped smartphone, the Honor was let down by a stark lack of style. The Huawei Vision must've been quick to grab the chance. Not that it's propelled to staggering heights of finesse but the unibody design is a source of strength and credibility.

The Huawei Vision at ours

The Vision risks being soon overshadowed by its younger and more gifted siblings, and faces frightening competition. No one can reasonably expect Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony Ericsson to be nice to newcomers. With dual-core phones becoming more and more affordable, the Vision needs to be prepared to battle some tegra 2-yeilding brutes too.

The Huawei Vision looks good and is more than decently equipped to be a trusty day-to-day companion or your first smartphone to learn the basics with. All it needs is the right price and an audience to make happy. It has all our attention. Let's see if it can keep it.

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Huawei MediaPad review: On the rise

Huawei have been flexing their mobile manufacturing muscle lately and one of their latest creations, the 7" MediaPad Android tablet, is getting its high-res screen and aluminum unibody ready to take on the big boys.

Huawei MediaPad official pictures

The Huawei MediaPad skimps on almost no ingredient in a bid to challenge the best 7" tablets out there. Sure, it would have been great to have Android ICS out of the box, but the screen has WXGA resolution and 216ppi pixel density - almost as high as the 10.1" Asus Transformer Prime TF700T and its 224ppi 1920x1200 screen.

Not impressed yet? How about an aluminum unibody that's thinner and lighter than the plasticy Kindle Fire? What about some of these specs:

10.5mm slim aluminum unibody7.0" 256K-color IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels)Weighs 390 gQualcomm MSM8260 chipset: Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor; 1GB of RAM; Adreno 220 GPUAndroid 3.2 Honeycomb, updateable to 4.0 Ice Cream SandwichQuad-band GPRS/EDGE and dual/tri-band 3G with HSPA connectivity (HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps)Voice calls, texts and MMS5 MP autofocus camera, 2592x1944 pixels, geotagging720p HD video recording @ 30 fps1.3 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recordingWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspotStereo Bluetooth v2.1microHDMI TV-out, USB host (adapter required)Standard 3.5 mm audio jack; Stereo speakers; SRS sound enhancement8 GB of built-in memory, 5.8 GB user accessiblemicroSD card slotAdobe Flash 11 supportGPS with A-GPS support; digital compass1080p DivX/XviD/MKV video supportAccelerometer and proximity sensor; three-axis Gyroscope sensorOffice document editor preinstalled4100 mAh Li-Po rechargeable batteryPoor cameraNon-replaceable batteryNo scratch-resistant screen surfaceNo LED flash

The Media Pad is certainly dressed to impress, but the name Huawei just doesn't have a premium ring to it. However, with the super-thin Huawei Ascend P1 S and now the MediaPad, Huawei is sending a clear message that they can successfully compete in the high end too.

Huawei MediaPad live pictures

The MediaPad shows no lack of ambition in Huawei. But how good were they at taking it from the blueprints to a finished product? Jump to the next page where we begin to find out.

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Amazon Kindle Fire review: Midnight oil

Like the world needs another 7" Android tablet. Well, maybe it does. Or (more likely), it doesn't. No matter where you stand, the Kindle Fire couldn't be less relevant to this debate. It isn't just another Android tablet. It's a hardware Amazon account, 7 inches tall by 5 inches wide. If tablets are for fun and laptops are for work, the Kindle Fire is for shopping.

Amazon Kindle Fire official pictures

If you put Amazon and the Kindle Fire in a multiple choice question, the answer won't be A) Because everyone else is doing it. It's more like B) We need to do for music, videos, apps and games what Kindle does for books. Simple as that.

The Kindle Fire isn't about versatility in an ultra-portable form factor. Some tablets are. The Fire isn't desperate to unsettle Apple's iPad. Some Android tablets are. We'll say it again. The Kindle Fire isn't your average Android tablet. In a way, it isn't your tablet. Well, yes, it's yours to have but the content to enjoy on it is Amazon's to sell.

7" 16:9 IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen of WSVGA resolution (1024 x 600) pixels Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP 4430 chipsetLicense-free Android-based OS8GB of on-board storage, free cloud storage for all Amazon contentWeight of 413 gramsAccelerometerExcellent HTML5 browser Adobe Flash support, Flash videos up to 720pStandard microUSB port, mass storage 3.5mm audio jackNo 3G No memory card slot, limited inbuilt storageReflective screen of poor brightness Very limited video codec supportNo cameraNo physical volume controlsNon replaceable batteryNo native Google apps, no access to the Android MarketSome features unavailable without an Amazon Prime accountVideo streaming not available outside US

The Kindle Fire is not an e-reader. It's a multimedia device with web browsing and email - and that's a lot more than an e-book reader. Yet, the backlit LCD screen is obviously no match for e-ink. The Kindle Fire is touted as a reading device - as much as it's for Internet browsing, listening and watching. If it's mags and comics, we'd agree. For e-books, any other Kindle would do a much better job. The Fire is actually for users who have a Kindle already. It's an addition - not a replacement - to any generation of Amazon's e-ink devices.

An older-gen Kindle e-reader and a Fire combined cost less than most tablets out there. The Kindle is so cheap because it lacks many basic features. The sub-200 dollar price tag is meant to encourage Amazon subscribers to keep on shopping for music, video, apps and games as they've been for books on their Kindle readers.

Amazon Kindle Fire live pictures

On the other hand, the shocking lack of features (in what's technically an Android tablet) is meant to discourage bargain-hunters who have no intention of ever buying Amazon's content.

The Kindle Fire is not competing with Samsung, LG or any other maker of Android tablets. Amazon's profit is not in the hardware they ship, they sell digital content. Amazon is not racing with Apple's iPads and iPod Touch. They're after Apple's iTunes.

We know this doesn't make the Kindle Fire's limitations more palatable. But maybe it helps have the right kind of expectations about the device. The Fire is a nice and easy gadget, which is meant to bring a huge catalog of digital content a click away. Not the dirty cheap tablet some may have been hoping for.

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Samsung Galaxy Note I717 review: Pushing the envelope

Samsung has high hopes for the LTE packing Galaxy Note I717 in the United States. Since its launch during CES, the AT&T exclusive device has enjoyed a marketing push like no other Samsung offering to date, including the Galaxy S II lineup. It appeared in a Super Bowl commercial, it starred in New York's Fashion week, etc.

Samsung Galaxy Note I717 official photos

The subject of this review is yet another case of an international Samsung device, gone through a character makeover before hitting the U.S. shores. To be in line with its American siblings, the I717 features four touch sensitive buttons under its screen. A Snapdragon S3 chipset with two 1.5GHz Scorpion cores has replaced the capable Exynos silicon of the global version.

The changes however are not in any case a downgrade. LTE connectivity has been added and with a 5.3" Super AMOLED screen and an S Pen on board, the Samsung Galaxy Note I717 has a market niche of its own.

Here is a look at the key features of the Note I717.

Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPALTE network connectivity5.3" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of HiDef resolution (800 x 1280 pixels)Android OS v2.3.6 with TouchWiz 4 launcher1.5 GHz dual-core Scorpion CPU, Adreno 220 GPU, Snapdragon S3 chipset, 1GB of RAMPre-bundled with the S Pen active stylus8 MP wide-angle autofocus camera with LED flash, face, smile and blink detectionVideo recording of up to 1080p@30fpsDual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g and n support; Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi hotspotGPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass16 internal storage, microSD slotAccelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensorStandard 3.5 mm audio jackCharging MHL microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p through optional adapter) supportStereo Bluetooth v3.0Great audio quality9.7 mm slim and weighs a reasonable 178g2MP secondary video-call cameraFull Flash support and GPU-acceleration for the web browser permit 1080p flash video playbackDocument editorFile manager comes preinstalledExtremely rich audio and video format support2500 mAh batteryWon't fit comfortably in every pocketDifficult for one-handed use No dedicated camera keyThe Exynos chipset of the global version is significantly faster- both in benchmarks and real lifeHD screen uses PenTile matrix lowering perceived resolutionNo FM radio (the global version has one)

As you can see, the AT&T Galaxy Note's spec sheet is long enough to satisfy even the most demanding users. As far as the phoneblet's disadvantages go, the substitution of the powerful Exynos chipset for a Qualcomm made one is probably the biggest letdown in the U.S. Galaxy Note. The Snapdragon S3 is simply not as powerful. You do however, get LTE connectivity thanks to it - a nice way to ease the pain over the lost oomph.

Samsung Galaxy Note I717 live shots

So, does the Samsung Galaxy Note I717 have what it takes to make people ditch their current smartphones and tablets for a device, which tries to do it all? Read on to find out. As always, we will begin with an unboxing, followed by design and build quality inspection.

Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include all of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. The Samsung Galaxy Note I717 for AT&T is a US-only phone, so it will probably never get to the shores of the Old Continent. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!

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Amazon Kindle Fire review: Midnight oil

Like the world needs another 7" Android tablet. Well, maybe it does. Or (more likely), it doesn't. No matter where you stand, the Kindle Fire couldn't be less relevant to this debate. It isn't just another Android tablet. It's a hardware Amazon account, 7 inches tall by 5 inches wide. If tablets are for fun and laptops are for work, the Kindle Fire is for shopping.

Amazon Kindle Fire official pictures

If you put Amazon and the Kindle Fire in a multiple choice question, the answer won't be A) Because everyone else is doing it. It's more like B) We need to do for music, videos, apps and games what Kindle does for books. Simple as that.

The Kindle Fire isn't about versatility in an ultra-portable form factor. Some tablets are. The Fire isn't desperate to unsettle Apple's iPad. Some Android tablets are. We'll say it again. The Kindle Fire isn't your average Android tablet. In a way, it isn't your tablet. Well, yes, it's yours to have but the content to enjoy on it is Amazon's to sell.

7" 16:9 IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen of WSVGA resolution (1024 x 600) pixels Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP 4430 chipsetLicense-free Android-based OS8GB of on-board storage, free cloud storage for all Amazon contentWeight of 413 gramsAccelerometerExcellent HTML5 browser Adobe Flash support, Flash videos up to 720pStandard microUSB port, mass storage 3.5mm audio jackNo 3G No memory card slot, limited inbuilt storageReflective screen of poor brightness Very limited video codec supportNo cameraNo physical volume controlsNon replaceable batteryNo native Google apps, no access to the Android MarketSome features unavailable without an Amazon Prime accountVideo streaming not available outside US

The Kindle Fire is not an e-reader. It's a multimedia device with web browsing and email - and that's a lot more than an e-book reader. Yet, the backlit LCD screen is obviously no match for e-ink. The Kindle Fire is touted as a reading device - as much as it's for Internet browsing, listening and watching. If it's mags and comics, we'd agree. For e-books, any other Kindle would do a much better job. The Fire is actually for users who have a Kindle already. It's an addition - not a replacement - to any generation of Amazon's e-ink devices.

An older-gen Kindle e-reader and a Fire combined cost less than most tablets out there. The Kindle is so cheap because it lacks many basic features. The sub-200 dollar price tag is meant to encourage Amazon subscribers to keep on shopping for music, video, apps and games as they've been for books on their Kindle readers.

Amazon Kindle Fire live pictures

On the other hand, the shocking lack of features (in what's technically an Android tablet) is meant to discourage bargain-hunters who have no intention of ever buying Amazon's content.

The Kindle Fire is not competing with Samsung, LG or any other maker of Android tablets. Amazon's profit is not in the hardware they ship, they sell digital content. Amazon is not racing with Apple's iPads and iPod Touch. They're after Apple's iTunes.

We know this doesn't make the Kindle Fire's limitations more palatable. But maybe it helps have the right kind of expectations about the device. The Fire is a nice and easy gadget, which is meant to bring a huge catalog of digital content a click away. Not the dirty cheap tablet some may have been hoping for.

View the original article here

Amazon Kindle Fire review: Midnight oil

Like the world needs another 7" Android tablet. Well, maybe it does. Or (more likely), it doesn't. No matter where you stand, the Kindle Fire couldn't be less relevant to this debate. It isn't just another Android tablet. It's a hardware Amazon account, 7 inches tall by 5 inches wide. If tablets are for fun and laptops are for work, the Kindle Fire is for shopping.

Amazon Kindle Fire official pictures

If you put Amazon and the Kindle Fire in a multiple choice question, the answer won't be A) Because everyone else is doing it. It's more like B) We need to do for music, videos, apps and games what Kindle does for books. Simple as that.

The Kindle Fire isn't about versatility in an ultra-portable form factor. Some tablets are. The Fire isn't desperate to unsettle Apple's iPad. Some Android tablets are. We'll say it again. The Kindle Fire isn't your average Android tablet. In a way, it isn't your tablet. Well, yes, it's yours to have but the content to enjoy on it is Amazon's to sell.

7" 16:9 IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen of WSVGA resolution (1024 x 600) pixels Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP 4430 chipsetLicense-free Android-based OS8GB of on-board storage, free cloud storage for all Amazon contentWeight of 413 gramsAccelerometerExcellent HTML5 browser Adobe Flash support, Flash videos up to 720pStandard microUSB port, mass storage 3.5mm audio jackNo 3G No memory card slot, limited inbuilt storageReflective screen of poor brightness Very limited video codec supportNo cameraNo physical volume controlsNon replaceable batteryNo native Google apps, no access to the Android MarketSome features unavailable without an Amazon Prime accountVideo streaming not available outside US

The Kindle Fire is not an e-reader. It's a multimedia device with web browsing and email - and that's a lot more than an e-book reader. Yet, the backlit LCD screen is obviously no match for e-ink. The Kindle Fire is touted as a reading device - as much as it's for Internet browsing, listening and watching. If it's mags and comics, we'd agree. For e-books, any other Kindle would do a much better job. The Fire is actually for users who have a Kindle already. It's an addition - not a replacement - to any generation of Amazon's e-ink devices.

An older-gen Kindle e-reader and a Fire combined cost less than most tablets out there. The Kindle is so cheap because it lacks many basic features. The sub-200 dollar price tag is meant to encourage Amazon subscribers to keep on shopping for music, video, apps and games as they've been for books on their Kindle readers.

Amazon Kindle Fire live pictures

On the other hand, the shocking lack of features (in what's technically an Android tablet) is meant to discourage bargain-hunters who have no intention of ever buying Amazon's content.

The Kindle Fire is not competing with Samsung, LG or any other maker of Android tablets. Amazon's profit is not in the hardware they ship, they sell digital content. Amazon is not racing with Apple's iPads and iPod Touch. They're after Apple's iTunes.

We know this doesn't make the Kindle Fire's limitations more palatable. But maybe it helps have the right kind of expectations about the device. The Fire is a nice and easy gadget, which is meant to bring a huge catalog of digital content a click away. Not the dirty cheap tablet some may have been hoping for.

View the original article here