If you live in Europe, and have been lusting over the HTC Aria since it was first introduced as an AT&T-only handset back in the summer, your cravings are about to be satisfied. The HTC Gratia will come ashore with the same 3.2″ capacitive screen in 320×480 pixels of resolution, and 600MHz chipset, but HTC has bumped the operating memory a bit to 384MB from 256MB, and loaded Froyo on the handset.

More RAM, coupled with the performance optimizations of Android 2.2, should make the interface smoother, and leave power for more intensive tasks. The HTC Gratia will come in two more colors other than the plain black – Forest Green and Pearl White. HTC Sense UI, of course, comes standard, but not of the cloud-friendly flavor that will be coming to other HTC handsets. The HTC Gratia will be available from carriers and retailers in all major European markets in November.
source: HTC

The Alcatel OT-980 budget portrait slider will be available in the United Kingdom starting in October. It will be sold through Carphone Warehouse for £99.95 on a pay-as-you-go plan.

The device, which has been available for a short while in France, attracts with its form factor rather than its raw stats. The device runs Android 2.1 (no word on Froyo) with a 600MHz processor. It also features relatively low 240 X 320 resolution on a 2.8 inch screen. Its charm instead comes from its slick styling and affordability.

At a distance, one might think that the OT-980 was a BlackBerry Torch. Though it might not be a popular thing to say, the Alcatel device is a far better value than the Torch, especially considering the Torch’s main appeal is its style, rather than its technological improvements (and it’s on contract).

In the words of Alcatel itself, “Continuing the quest to make their communication devices accessible to the mass market, the Alcatel OT-980 is the bold new choice among Android 3G/3G+ smartphones.” Marketing aside, it does seem like a strong candidate for their flagship device.
source: TechRadar via AndroidGuys

The CEO of LG Electronics, Nam Yong, has stepped down, after a nerve-racking dive in profits from its mobile handsets division. The operating profits from cell phones slumped with the astonishing 90%, compared to last year, clearly indicating that LG is doing something wrong.

Mr Yong will be replaced by the brother of the LG Group chairman. LG’s share of the cell phone industry’s profits has shrunk more than half since the iPhone introduction, and the proliferation of Android smartphones.

The company is jumping on the Android bandwagon with full force, hoping to reverse these trends, and it’s aiming to carve a niche for itself by outing five Windows Phone 7 devices by year-end. Will it succeed? We’ll know more when the year is up.

source: LG

Remember that low-end assault that Google had in store for Android, plotting with LG and Huawei? Well, one of its representatives just got announced by Huawei, the Chinese electronics conglomerate. Slated for release almost everywhere on the globe, the Huawei Ideos packs Android 2.2 out of the gate, and has a 2.8″ QVGA capacitive touchscreen.

While the phone is nothing fancy in terms of design and raw CPU power (528MHz), Huawei claims it has worked in close cooperation with Google on the Ideos, so as to insure the smoothest stock Froyo experience possible. The handset packs 512MB ROM/256MB RAM, and has a 3MP camera.

It is fairly chubby at 0.53″ (13.5mm), but will come in a variety of flashy colors for all the GSM and UMTS/HSDPA bands you can imagine. Thus the US might easily be seeing it on AT&T or T-Mobile, since it recently hit the FCC. It has Wi-Fi n, and doubles as a mobile hotspot for up to eight devices.

The magic number here appears to be 200 (pounds, euros, dollars), as from prices floating around it seems that the Ideos won’t probably jump over that threshold in any country, making it an extremely affordable off-contract Froyo handset. Huawei claims that, since it has been working closely with Google on the handset, it will be promptly OTA updated to the new Android versions when they roll out.

source: Pocket-Lint

Corby phones no longer mean that they are mid-range feature phone offerings that bow down whenever higher-end smartphones are present as Samsung officially unveiled its first Android powered Corby branded phone. This shouldn’t come to a surprise as we’ve reported seeing the Samsung Corby Smartphone I5500 make an appearance over at the FCC. However, it’s taking flight over in Italy where it will garner a price tag of 199 euros and a release time frame some time during the middle of June. The Samsung Corby Smartphone I5500 is an affordable offering as its boasts a 2.8” QVGA touchscreen, 3G, 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, aGPS, 1200mAh battery, microSD card slot, and widgets for social networking and Google services. By no means does it compare to the high-end specs of something like the Samsung Galaxy S, but it will undoubtedly attract consumers that are looking to find an inexpensive handset to get their feet wet with Android.
Samsung Corby Smartphone I5500 Specifications

Orange customers are probably surprised to see an update available for the HTC Tattoo when there’s talk about Android 2.1 Eclair and 2.2 Froyo rolling about just everywhere you turn. However, those sporting the HTC Tattoo are still probably bummed out with the knowledge that HTC officially came out to say that the handset would not be seeing an update for Android 2.1. So for those Orange customers filling up with a sense of hope with this announced update, there is little solace with it at the same time as it will erase any data stored on the handset – so that means you’ll have the duty of backing things up beforehand. Not only is the new update nothing related to Android 2.1, but the thought of it erasing all day easily puts a damper on the moods of most owners. Never say never though as we’ve seen hackers do the impossible on other handsets – so there’s always that distinct possibility of something happening down the road.
source: HTC via Mobileburn

Nowhere close in meeting the specs of some of its brothers and sisters, such as the Nexus One, the Huawei Pulse for T-Mobile Hungary of all Android handsets is surprisingly receiving an update for Android 2.1. Those lucky enough to sport the handset probably thought that they were going to have to live with Android 1.5, especially when it’s garnered by many as an entry-level Android device, but owners can check out the Hungarian-language set of directions to bring it up to Android 2.1. However, there is a translated English version for those who aren’t adept in the Hungarian language. In addition, it should be noted that users will also have the option to downgrade back to 1.5 – we’d assume performance may become too much of an issue for some out there; hence the option to revert back. Nonetheless, Huawei Pulse owners should feel proud knowing that the handset is still receiving some love – not all Android phones out there are getting the same treatment.
via IntoMobile

Back in the middle of April, HTC posted a question on their Facebook page, asking their friends to vote for the name of a handset they are working on. The possible options were Jovi, Zeal, Wildfire and Festi. Well, it seems like the majority of people have voted for “Wildfire”, as the renowned smartphone manufacturer has now announced a brand new Android phone, called the HTC Wildfire.

If you liked the powerful HTC Desire, but considered it too big, or too expensive, then you’ll probably fall in love with the HTC Wildfire, as is it introduced as a more compact and budget-friendly version of the above-mentioned Android powerhouse. Of course, the Wildfire is also running Android, while on top it still has the company’s Sense UI with seven home screen pages, social network integration and so on. What is going to make its debut in the HTC Wildfire is the new app-sharing widget, which will allow users to recommend apps that they like to their friends via various ways like email, text or social networks.

On the hardware side of things, the HTC Wildfire won’t be as spectacular as the Desire, but then again, it isn’t meant to be. It will sport a 3.2-inch QVGA capacitive display, 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, 3.5mm jack and microSD memory expansion. The processor inside will be a 528MHz Qualcomm one, which will provide some passable performance, we suppose.

The HTC Wildfire will arrive at European and Asian stores in Q3 at a still unannounced price, but we hope it would be truly affordable.

UPDATE: You can check out the promo video below!

source: HTC via UnwiredView

More information has been revealed about the Android powered Vodafone 845 smartphone that made some news back a month ago. After getting a chance to see a leaked rendered image of the handset, there are now actual leaked photos that show off every nook and cranny of this compact device. It’s being reported that the Vodafone 845 was the creation of Huawei and will feature Android 2.1, Bluetooth 2.1, 2.8” QVGA touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera, and optical joystick. Pretty much everything that was speculated about the handset is being confirmed yet again. The interesting thing is that it’ll be one compact Android phone – its dimensions have it at 100 x 55 x 13 mm; which is actually a tiny bit smaller than the HTC Tattoo. Aside from packing Android 2.1, you can expect to see Vodafone’s 360 networking app and the myriad of “Google Experience” apps as well. As far as its exact release and pricing, those two things still remain to be a mystery – but luckily it’s rumored for a Q2 launch in Europe.
via Android Community

Without any Android handsets from Dell yet to make an official splash in the US, China is already getting treated to a second Android powered handset from the US based PC manufacturer. The Dell Mini 3T1 will follow the Mini 3i (aka Dell Aero for AT&T) as the second Android offering that’ll be bound for the world’s largest cell phone market. This time around, Dell is attacking the lower-end of the segment with the Mini 3T1 as it features TD-SCDMA connectivity, 2-megapixel camera, WAPI, and China Mobile’s customized version of Android called oPhone. Adding an affordable device will allow the manufacturer to entice consumers who are on the fence of jumping straight into Android – the affordable nature of the handset will obviously play to its strengths. Just looking at the rendered images that recently appeared in China clearly displays some of the design elements incorporated in their laptop designs – which isn’t a bad thing because it still looks nice. It may not have that slick polished look that embodies the Dell Mini 3i/Aero, rather, we’re more confident consumers will overlook its design in favor for its entry-level price point. Expected to be available shortly, Dell is looking to become a prominent figure in the smartphone business in China.
source: tenaa (translated) via Unwired View