Mobile Miscellany: week of June 18th, 2012
Mobile Miscellany: week of June 18th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned of the first market outside of China for ZTE's new Grand X smartphone, and received news that both the Sony Xperia U and Xperia P will arrive in Australia. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 18th, 2012.
ZTE Grand X escapes China, arrives first in Istanbul
This week brought the introduction of the Grand X and Grand X LTE Android 4.0 smartphones from ZTE, which were first announced for availability within China at this year's Mobile Asia Expo. First previewed at Mobile World Congress as the Mimosa X, the phone's first market outside of China has been revealed, and it'll come to none other than Turkey during the second half of 2012. This version packs a Tegra 2 SoC from NVIDIA, along with a 4.3-inch qHD screen, a 5-megapixel camera and a VGA front-facing shooter. [ZTE PR]
AT&T brings 4G LTE to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
Slowly but surely, AT&T continues to make progress with its LTE network deployment, and the latest city to receive this true 4G connectivity is none other than Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, which is located southwest of Nashville. [AT&T PR]
Sony Xperia U and Xperia P come to Australia
Good news for Aussies this week, as both the Sony Xperia U and Xperia P smartphones have been announced for availability in Australia. The Xperia P -- which contains a dual-core 1GHz CPU, a 4-inch qHD screen and Android 2.3 -- is set for arrival at Telstra, and will be available free with all plans of $ 49 or more per month. Meanwhile, the Xperia U -- which features a dual-core 1GHz CPU, a 3.5-inch FWVGA display and Android 2.3 -- is available now from Crazy Johns, and can be had for free with all plans of $ 15 or more per month. [Unwired View]
Skype 1.2 debuts for Windows Phone
Updated for Windows Phone this week, version 1.2 of Skype brings integration with the phone's contact list, the ability to edit phone numbers before dialing and a number of bug fixes. [Skype Garag e]
Nokia Maps receives update to version 2.1
This is a minor tweak, to be sure, but version 2.1 of Nokia Maps is now available, which is said to resolve issues regarding the uploads of favorite places photos. [WMPoweruser]
Progress continues to bring Android app compatibility to Nokia N9
MeeGo Harmattan OS is no doubt an elegant and intuitive platform, but with a rather limited app selection, Nokia's had a bit of a rough go when making a case for the N9 smartphone. That may change, however, as the crew at OpenMobile are continuing in their efforts to bring ACL (App Compatibility Layer) to Nokia's former flagship smartphone. To see the latest in developments from OpenMobile, be sure to check the related video. [My Nokia Blog]
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