ZTE Kis smartphone now available on Virgin Media

Another ultra-cheap Android device is about to hit the market, this time from ZTE. The ZTE Kis will sell for less than £50 on Virgin Media from today and has a 3.5? HVGA 480×320 screen.
Powered by an 800MHz CPU, the phone runs Android 2.3 and has Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, GPS, microSD expansion, 256MB RAM and a 1400mAh battery.
We’re struggling to see why they’ve added “WAP” as a feature (retro, baby), but they are at least chucking in a 2GB microSD card too.
You can buy this for £49.99 when you purchase a £10 top-up.
Details below, plus more photos of this device. Thoughts ?

ZTE Launches Kis smartphone with Virgin Media
Virgin Media’s best value Android handset at under £50.00
11 July 2012, London, UK – ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK /A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, has launched its Kis smartphone, which will be distributed in the UK through Virgin Media from 11 July 2012. Available exclusively from Virgin Media at launch, the ZTE Kis is a feature-packed Android handset entering the Pay As You Go (PAYG) market as the best value Android available at just £49.99*.
In addition, Virgin Media is offering its customers 1GB data free per month for 12 months, making it ideal for customers who love to stay connected on the move and want to make the most of having access to over 600,000 Android apps through Google Play.
This is the second smartphone that ZTE has launched in partnership with Virgin Media, following the launch of the ZTE Tania Windows Phone earlier this year.
With a quality, high-end design, ZTE’s Kis is a great value smartphone that delivers on functionality at a cost-effective price for the style-conscious consumer. The 2GB memory card included allows for plenty of storage for photos and music files, while the 3.2MP Auto Focus camera with digital zoom provides the capability to take high quality pictures. Users can also share photos and tracks online using the smartphone’s Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities, and the handset’s fast 800MHz processor provides for swift operation and enables customers to enjoy smooth video playback and run apps with ease.
Jamie Heywood, director of mobile at Virgin Media said: “With the Kis, ZTE has designed a handset that meets customer requirements for a rich Android experience at a very affordable price for PAYG customers. With plentiful features and an abundance of apps to choose from through Google Play Store the ZTE Kis certainly delivers on that.
“We’re bundling in a huge amount of data to complement this Android handset for our PAYG customers. This is yet another example how Virgin Media is raising the bar in the mobile market because we know how much our customers love to be connected no matter where they are without worrying about expensive bills.”
“The launch of the ZTE Kis is a further demonstration of our commitment to building the ZTE brand in Europe and the UK across a number of price points and operating systems, which will continue with new devices throughout the remainder of 2012 and in 2013. It is also an example of our commitment to providing our customers with quality devices at affordable prices under the vibrant ZTE brand proposition,” said Wu Sa, Director of Mobile Device Operations at ZTE UK.
Key functionality
· Display: 3.5”, HVGA 480*320, 262k colours, TFT, Capacitive
· Processor: 800MHz
· Camera: 3.2MP Auto Focus, 2 x digital zoom
· OS: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
· Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, GPS, WAP 2.0, Tri band
· Storage: Internal 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM. External memory up to 32GB, 2GB micro SD card included with device
· Dimensions: 114.3 x 61.6 x 11.5mm, 120g
· Battery: 1400 mAh Li-Ion

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Samsung Galaxy Beam now available to buy

We had a quick play with the Samsung Galaxy Beam during Mobile World Congress. We tried to hold back on asking “is that a projector in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me”, but slightly embarrassed ourselves by asking, “do things work better in the dark”.
Still, if you’d like to project media onto a wall and fancy this dual-core 1GHz Android handset, it’s now available from eXpansys for £394.99. Specs also include a 5 megapixel camera and 8GB of internal memory.
Link – eXpansys

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SPB TV is now available for Windows Phone

We all know SPB, they have been making software for mobiles since the days of Windows Mobile. Most recently they jumped onto the bandwagon that is Android and haven’t to date really got involved in Windows Phone. Well they have announced SPB TV for Windows Phone, so if you fancy watching some TV from various European Countries then this is the app for you. The content is going to be very similar to SPB TV for other platforms just with a nice Metro redesign.

June 28th, 2012 – MobiWorld Media (SPB TV trademark), the leading provider of technology solutions for mobile and OTT TV, announces the release of SPB TV 3.0, the latest version of the popular mobile TV application for Windows Phone platform. The updated version provides social accounts integration, enriched VoD player functionality and convenient Channel Store; the app is redesigned in the laconic and fine Metro style for the most comfortable and enjoyable user experience.
According to the SPB TV Survey that the company held earlier, more and more people highly value social features of the mobile applications. With SPB TV 3.0 Windows Phone users can stay connected with their friends in Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live and LinkedIn informing them about amusing shows and sharing comments upon the TV content quickly and easily.
The Channel Store, convenient and well-organized way of content representation, is now available to WP users. Here one can easily find the desired channel or just browse for interesting content. SPB TV 3.0 also provides advanced video on demand playing options: now the user can rewind, forward, pause and play the clip using handy on-screen buttons.
SPB TV 3.0 for WP has a new original design following all main principles of Windows Phone interface style called Metro. The Metro style highlights simplicity, content and typography emphasis, and purity.
“New SPB TV application fully uses Metro style design principles and very naturally fits the Windows Phone environment. The app provides great usability and comfort to Windows Phone users, who now can enjoy over 150 channels in multiple languages through the accustomed Windows Phone interface,” said Mik Chernomordikov, Evangelism Unit Lead, Microsoft Russia.
SPB TV 3.0 inherits all the best features of the previous versions: picture-in-picture mode, quick channel previews and easily accessible TV guide. The amount of channels available in SPB TV is constantly growing and has already reached 150 items. All the channels are subscription free. Just like other SPB TV mobile solutions, SPB TV 3.0 ensures smooth and uninterrupted video playback in any network, including Wi-Fi, 3G and Edge, due to adaptive streaming technologies support.

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The new Hannspree HANNSpad is now available

Cast your minds back over the last few weeks. Think of all the Android tablet news you’ve heard.
Your probably thinking of the accidental tweeted picture and the following press release we posted about the “new HANNSpad”.

At the time Hannspree said that the new HANNSpad would be released at a great price, well they were right. It is now available over at Ebuyer Source for £99.99. What will be interesting with this price range of tablets is how manufacturers will handle the release of the upcoming Nexus tablet. In that if someone is going to buy a budget tablet will they just spend that little bit more on the device.
The spec is similar to many other budget ics tablets that have been recently released.
Hannspree Hannspad Tablet PC Product Description.
Android 4.0 embedded tablet brings you a new experience
Smarter unlock Users can use “Face Unlock” to unlock the screen. PIN and touch pattern unlocks are also supported, providing multiple options for a smarter and more convenient experience!
Multi-tasking A convenient multi-tasking interface with thumbnails allows users to quickly switchbetween applications.
Faster web browsing Improved browser performance makes web pages open faster, allows switching to desktop versions at any time, and offline browsing is also supported so you can view web pages even when not connected!
Communications made easy for a more convenient lifestyle The front-facing camera, microphone, speakers and integrated WiFi Internet access allows one to enjoy exciting personal communications through instant messaging and video calls whenever, wherever.
Processor ARM Cortex A8 CPU 1.0 GHz
Memory 512MB RAM 4GB Flash Micro-SD Card Reader, Max. 32GB
Software Operating System: Android 4.0.3 Music,Gallery, Settings, Camera, Calculator, Clock, Downloads, Browser, Calendar, Email, Voice Recorder, Search, 1Mobile App Market, Camangi App Market, Adobe Reader,File Explorer, Note Everything
Display 7”Capacitive Multi-touch (5 points) LED backlight Resolution: 800×480 16:10 Aspect Ratio Viewing Angle: Horizontal: 120° / Vertical: 140°
Video Supported Formats: MKV (H.264), FLV,MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4 Image: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, WBMP
Audio Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV Speakers: 1 x 1W 1x Mono Mic
Networking WLAN 802.11 b/g/n
Power Supply 3000mAh / 3.7V Li-Polymer AC 100~ 240V, 5V/1.5A (DC Jack) Up to 5 hours video viewing time
Dimensions Width194.5 mm Height 120 mm Depth 10.5 mm
Interfaces 1x 3.5mm Headphones out 1x Mini-USB 2.0 , Supported: USB K/B , Mouse , USB flash-disk (Max. 64GB)
Warranty / Miscellaneous 2Year Manufacturer Warranty G Sensor 3axis Accelerometer Front 0.3M pixel Camera
We do actually have one of these coming to us next week so keep your eyes here to see our initial impressions.
Source – Ebuyer

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