Although in the US we’ve yet to see a prepaid Android phone, this offer will be available in Europe soon, through T-Mobile Pulse Mini. The T-Mobile Pulse successor is smaller and it’s made by Chinese company Huawei, providing Euro HSDPA and running Android 2.1.

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Tags: Android prepay phone, T-Mobile Pulse Mini, T-Mobile Pulse mini launch date, T-Mobile Pulse Mini price, T-Mobile Pulse Mini specifications

Another developement from this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is that Deutsche Telekom announced the launch of their T-Mobile branded Android smartphone, the T–Mobile Pulse Mini. The Pulse Mini features:

• Android 2.1-Eclair
• triaband GSM/GPRS/EDGE as well as singleband UMTS/HSDPA at 2100 MHz
• Bluetooth 2.0
  
• WiFi
  
• Qualcomm MSM 7225
• 2.8″ QVGA screen
  
• 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with flash
• Size: 106 x 57 x 14 mm
• Weighs: 110 grams
• 300 MB internal memory
  
• 16 GB (using microSD memory cards)

Look for it to launch in the UK and Germany sometime near April; pricing will vary by market, but the UK will be looking at a price somewhere around £99.99 (about $155) contract-free. Not too shabby huh?

[via T-Mobile]

Huawei and ZTE were present at MWC 2010 and they detailed their latest phone models, made for T-Mobile. We’re talking about Huawei T-Mobile Pulse Mini, that’ll be available starting April for £99.99 and ZTE T-Mobile Variy Touch II, scheduled for a March release, for £59.99.

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Tags: Huawei T-Mobile Pulse Mini, MWC 2010, T-Mobile Pulse Mini specifications, ZTE T-Mobile Variy Touch II, ZTE Variy Touch II specifications

Huawei have just outed four new handsets running on Google’s free mobile operating system at Mobile World Congress 2010. The elite model of these new handsets is the U8800 (shown below) and will run Android 2.1 on a big 3.8-inch wide screen, it will be commercially available in the third quarter of 2010.

The odd-looking U8300 — hard-to-miss yellow device on the pictures below — comes with a front facing QWERTY keyboard and will be available in three bright colors: green, yellow and purple. This weird phone is aimed at the youth market and incorporates popular social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

The entry level smartphones of the pack are the U8100 (pink handset below) and the U8110 (white device pictured below). Both handsets come equipped with a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, WiFi, bluetooth, a front facing camera with 0.3 mega pixels and another camera in the back with 3.2 mega pixels. Huawei’s U8100 and U8110 smartphones will be launched in Europe in the second quarter of 2010.

Today in Barcelona, T-Mobile announced a new handset made by Huawei, the Pulse Mini. The device comes with a 2.8 inch screen, a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash and Android 2.1 software.

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Tags: Huawei Android 2.1 phone, MWC 2010, Pulse Mini price, T-Mobile Pulse Mini, T-Mobile Pulse Mini specifications

Yesterday when the T-Mobile Pulse Mini got announced and demoed, we were excited that a budget android phone would come stocked with Android 2.1. What we DIDN’T know was the price, but ElectricPig is saying the phone will cost £100 on the Pay-As-You-Go plan – a pretty sweet deal! But they also so they company had to cut some corners to get the costs/price down and one of those corners was GPS.

How can an Android Phone not have GPS? Are all those location based apps just out the window? We’re trying to dig up some details on the situation here but lets hear what you have to say supposing this is true – is GPS a deal breaker? Or maybe they meant, being 2.1 and all, it just doesn’t come with Google Nav?

The small 2.8-inch screen and need for a stylus kill this for me regardless. But to each their own!

Yesterday when the T-Mobile Pulse Mini got announced and demoed, we were excited that a budget android phone would come stocked with Android 2.1. What we DIDN’T know was the price, but ElectricPig is saying the phone will cost £100 on the Pay-As-You-Go plan – a pretty sweet deal! But they also so they company had to cut some corners to get the costs/price down and one of those corners was GPS.

How can an Android Phone not have GPS? Are all those location based apps just out the window? We’re trying to dig up some details on the situation here but lets hear what you have to say supposing this is true – is GPS a deal breaker? Or maybe they meant, being 2.1 and all, it just doesn’t come with Google Nav?

The small 2.8-inch screen and need for a stylus kill this for me regardless. But to each their own!

Huawei also had a booth at MWC 2010, where it showcased a bunch of new devices, the most impressive of which was the Huawei U8800 model, the first HSPA+ smartphone running Android. The Android 2.1 device is pictured below and it’s able to reach speeds of up to 14 Mbps.

U8800 packs a 3.8 inch touchscreen display and it’ll be launched in Q3 2010. Together with this model, Huawei also unveiled the U8300 handset, a more youthful device, shown in the image below in yellow. This Huawei product comes with a QWERTY keyboard, social networking, a candybar format and an unusual design.

Huawei also showed the audience two more Android phones, the U8100 (available in pink below) and the U8110 (pictured in white). The only difference between them is the design, but the specs are the same: 2.8 inch touch display, a 3.2MP camera, a 0.3MP front videocall camera, Bluetooth and WiFi. Europe will have these models available in Q2.

Also shown in Barcelona, the SmaKit S7 tablet runs Google Android and features a 7 inch touchscreen display with a 800 x 480 pixel resolution. Here it is:

[via mobile review]

If you thought the Dell Mini 5 (5-inch screen) was big for a phone, you haven’t seen the Huawei SmaKit S7 (7-inch screen)! In all due fairness, the device is considered a MID with 3G voice capabilities, and with Bluetooth you’ll probably be using a headset to talk more often than not. Either way, it looks like another winning announcement from Huawei.

Here is what the company had to say about the device:

The SmaKit S7 has a 7-inch wide screen with a resolution of 800 x 480. It supports information-sharing across screens to present the same content simultaneously on computers, mobile phones and TV screens. The SmaKit S7 tablet allows users to easily access local information, visit social networking websites and shop from online application stores. To provide end-users with an integrated home solution, Smakit S7 can be connected to home gateway, TV or Android handsets.

I’m loving the look and feel of the SmaKit although that sounds a bit perverted when taking the device’s name into consideration (Smack It?). Oh come on… lighten up!

The SmaKit S7 has 720p video and HDMI Out after placing it into a docking station. The dock also includes 2 USB ports as a nice added touch. Our friend Charbax snagged a video demo:

My favorite part of the video – by FAR – is at about 2 minutes 30 seconds in when he asks about 3G and the rep, trying to hold back a smile, says, “If you don’t mind it’s too big you can make calls like that,” as he puts the huge device up to his ear. Priceless.

The SmaKit S7 itself may seem priceless but how much would you be willing to pay for it?

Looking at the image above, I know what you’re thinking, but look on the bright side: you’ll be much safer crossing the streets at night with that thing plastered to your ear. Huawei has just announced a number of colorful handsets that don’t look like your average Android handsets.

The U8300, pictured above, is geared toward the younger crowd and has a full QWERTY keyboard. It might be insanely yellow, but fret not — it comes in obnoxiously bright green and purple, too.

That pink/fuchsia handset is the Huawei U8100 and is considered to be an entry-level phone. What makes it entry-level over other candy-bar Android handsets, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s the small 2.8-inch QVGA touch screen, but this thing has a 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 3.2 megapixel shooter in back. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, there’s nothing that screams rookie with this phone.

There is also the Huawei U8110 which is a little more sleek and less gaudy than the U8100, but it features the same exact specs. Between the two, I’d go for the U8110, but that’s just me.

Here, I’ve saved the best for last — the U8800. It features Android 2.1 and is HSPA+ capable. Huawei isn’t skimping on this phone and also included a large 3.8-inch touch screen. Huawei CEO, Kevin Tao, says, “The customized Android smartphones reflect our long-term investment to develop high-end devices which enable operators to deliver enhanced and differentiated mobile services. Android being open to third party programs means that operators can add a number of various applications to the phone. The U8800 enables operators to provide tailor-made, stylish and affordable smartphones to their subscribers.”

The rate at which Android handsets is growing is exponential. If Acer, Huawei and others churning out handsets with Android is an indicator of where the operating system is heading, it will be everywhere and its app selection will be formidable before year’s end.

[Huawei via Phandroid]

When we told you about the Huawei U8800 Android Phone we got the goods from a Press Release. Somehow we overlooked the U8100/U8110 and U8300 completely – they just didn’t seem to LOOK like Android Phones so we assumed they weren’t. These entry level handsets are aimed at the youth market and I think it’s safe to say they’ll help bring Android to a crowd that very well might be enjoying their first smartphone.

Huawei U8300
“Aimed at the youth market, it incorporates popular social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter, a Qwerty keypad, and is ergonomically designed to ensure that hours of chatting online can be done in comfort. The U8300 is available in three bright colors: green, yellow and purple.”

Huawei U8100/U8110
“Entry-level smartphones, these two handsets have 2.8-inch wide QVGA touchscreens and a dual camera with 0.3 mega pixels in the front and 3.2 mega pixels in the back. Through WiFi and bluetooth, users can easily access the Internet and transmit data to each other. These two smartphones will be launched in Europe in the second quarter of 2010.”

The U8100 is the pink one atop and the U8110 the white one below. They seem to have identical specs with only the outer casing/design being different. If the colors stick – and I’m not sure they will because of the bright U8300 yellow – then the U8100 will probably target girls and the U8110 for guys.

These are mass market Androids that don’t attempt to blow you away, but I think they could be very popular with the masses.

Huawei promised phones at MWC and they delivered: for Android it arrived in the form of the Huawei U8800. The main highlight of this particular device is its HSPA+ connectivity allowing 14Mbps data speeds, essentially meaning you could download a 1GB file in less than a minute and a half. To benefit from that capability though, you’ll need to have a carrier that supports the HSPA+ standard.

The design is simple and sleek although the above picture isn’t exactly “clear” – I’m sure more press pics will follow. Other highlights of the hardware include Android 2.1 and a 3.8-inch touchscreen.

Here is the full press release:

Huawei to Launch World’s First HSPA+ Android Smartphone
Company showcases four additional Android™-based devices at Mobile World Congress

[Barcelona, Spain, February 15, 2010] Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today showcased the world’s first HSPA+ smartphone powered by Android at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The U8800 smartphone will be commercially available in the third quarter of 2010, and able to support high-speed Internet access, which is faster than existing 3G smartphones.

The U8800 uses the Android 2.1 operating system, and integrates HSPA+ capabilities to support downlink speeds of up to 14 Mb/s. This speed allows users to download a 400Mb feature-length movie within thirty seconds. The smartphone will feature a 3.8-inch wide screen, providing users with a broader field of vision and allowing them to take full advantage of a multitude of features and Internet applications.

Kevin Tao, CEO, Huawei Device, said: “The customized Android smartphones reflect our long-term investment to develop high-end devices which enable operators to deliver enhanced and differentiated mobile services. Android being open to third party programs means that operators can add a number of various applications to the phone. The U8800 enables operators to provide tailor-made, stylish and affordable smartphones to their subscribers.”

Yet another Android victory at MWC!

[Via Press Release]

The FCC has recently approved two new handsets, the ZTE C76 and Huawei G7600 models, pictured below. The first handset is meant to reach MetroPCS’ portofolio and it’s a simple candybar with Bluetooth, MMS, Voice mail, MetroWEB and a 3.5mm audio jack.

FCC approval, but this device is sadly not meant to reach the States. We’re dealing with yet another candybar, with GSM/GPRS connectivity, FM radio, a video player, a camera (2MP, maybe) and mobile TV.

There’s also Bluetooth on board, a music player, an e-book reader and an old-school TV antenna incorporated. Our guess is that this handset will be released in China first.

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Tags: FCC approval, Huawei G7600, mobile TV, specs, ZTE C76

A couple of days after the whole CES 2010 mayhem, we sit down and have a look at the devices we’ve seen showcased at the Las Vegas show. Among them there was also Huawei U8230, a distant “cousin” to the U8220, known in the UK as T-Mobile Pulse.

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Tags: CES 2010, hands-on, Huawei U8230, specs

Every year countless gifts are given during the holidays. Some of them are great, and some of them… well, you can’t win ‘em all. We’ve never done a Gift Guide before but with countless new products popping up almost weekly, we’re surprised those of you who aren’t glued to BGR are able to pick out a gift at all. Sorting everything by price point didn’t make much sense as the average price of what’s listed is around $199 after rebate, so we sorted it by lust-factor. We’re working on a couple other Gift Guides but in the meantime, here’s our cell phone one.

It’s fine, you don’t have to gift wrap it

LG enV TOUCH

If your loved one drops your smartphone like a hot potato because it’s “too complicated”, the LG enV TOUCH may be the perfect gift. Featuring an external 3 inch touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, drop dead easy menu controls and an HTML browser that runs over an EV-DO Rev. A connection (read: fast), the enV Touch has made our most worthy list for moderately geeky folk this holiday season.

Available exclusively at Verizon Wireless for $99.99 with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

BlackBerry Curve 8520

The latest BlackBerry in the Curve-series from Research In Motion is the BlackBerry Curve 8520, and it packs a punch for a pretty small price. Is it top of the line? No, but it can most definitely get the job done if you’re considering it as a gift for a young professional, recent college-bound individual, or even a mother or father. Everything is neatly packed into this QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry. Things like a 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, extra memory for installing applications and games, and a super long lasting battery round the feature-set

Available from T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S. starting at $129.99 with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

Sprint HTC Hero

The second best Android handset in the U.S. definitely deserves some love, too, and whomever ultimately ends up receiving the Hero will probably be a happy camper. Featuring a great display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and an intuitive user interface (read: it’s simple to use), there’s not a whole lot bad to say about Sprint’s Hero. The price is even attractive.

Available exclusively from Sprint for $179.99 with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

HTC Touch Pro2

HTC’s update to their original Touch Pro is practically available on all major carriers in the U.S., and for good reason. If you’re the business type that demands a Windows Mobile handset and are big on conference calling while on the move, there isn’t anything better. It’s one of the most enjoyable phones we’ve ever used to talk on, and its call quality / conference calling / speakerphone is more or less unmatched. It’s a little pricey, though.

Available from T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon Wireless for $299-$349.99 with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

Nokia E71x

It’s not brand new, but it’s still one of the finest devices that handset-leader Nokia manufactures. What do you get in such a small package? 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, a decent QWERTY keyboard and an all black finish. The operating system that powers the E71x is getting a little dated, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a host of applications and games available for it. Plus, you can’t really beat the price.

Available exclusively from AT&T for $49.99 with two year agreement after mail in rebates.

Aww, I love it!

Motorola DROID

There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Motorola’s DROID handset is simply the greatest Android phone to date, and from what we’re hearing, it’s a hot seller. If you’re looking for a gift for your anarchist, anti-establishment son, or maybe a husband that gets caught trying to jailbreak his iPod touch, then maybe they might enjoy an Android phone by Motorola. If you’re looking for a gift for a daughter, sister, or wife, the DROID might not be the best choice, however.

Available exclusively on Verizon Wireless for $199 with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

Dude, fetch me a paper bag, I can’t breathe

BlackBerry 9700

There isn’t much to it: if your loved one is a BlackBerry-addicted individual and demands the best, there really isn’t anything better. From the pocketable design to the always functional keyboard, global roaming and multimedia features, the BlackBerry 9700 has our vote for the best BlackBerry of all time. (Beyonce music video available for download separately).

Available from AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. for $199 with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

iPhone 3GS

Look, they’ve begged you each and every year, you might as well just give in this time. The iPhone 3GS is Apple’s latest smartphone straight out of Cupertino and it’s a beauty. With an unmatched user interface and practically limitless applications and games (just watch out for those iTunes email receipts), this is one iPod that will be sure to keep the kids, nephews, parents, and even grandparents quiet. And happy, too. Just make sure they’re wearing headphones because we’re heard enough Andrea Bocelli out off Grandma’s iPhone.

Available exclusively on AT&T in the U.S. in both 16GB and 32GB sizes for $199 or $299 respectively with two year agreement after mail in rebate.

Andrew Munchbach and Kelly Kodgkins also contributed to this article.

Happy holidays, y’all!