Fone Arena

• Jolla says their OS will run Android apps (UPDATE)
• Samsung Galaxy Note II teaser video goes up, and a new image leaks too
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos with 4-inch display, 1 GHz processor, Android 4.0 announced
• Sony Xperia SL with 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 official
• Micromax 144F Ferrai Opus 3G data card launched for Rs. 2199
• LG Optimus Vu with Tegra 3 quad-core processor launching globally starting from September

Jolla says their OS will run Android apps (UPDATE) Nokia launched an amazing phone last year called the N9. It ran a Linux based operating system called MeeGo, it didn't have any front facing buttons, it had a perfectly sized 3.9 inch screen, and the press absolutely fell in love it. So much so that Stephen Elop decided to kill the N9 shortly after it shipped because he wanted the world to pay attention to the company's Windows Phone lineup. In fact, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 are basically the N9, but with Microsoft's software on-board. Since MeeGo was effectively killed, those who worked on the OS had a tough decision to make: Keep working for Nokia, but on projects they really couldn't care less about, or leave the company and try to start their own thing. This is how Jolla was born. The company is based in Helsinki, has roughly 50 employees, and their goal is to announce a phone by the end of this year. Last month I sat down with the CEO, Jussi Hurmola, and had a 20 minute chat with him. You can listen to or read that interview here. One of the questions I asked him then and the question that's been on everyone's mind ...

Samsung Galaxy Note II teaser video goes up, and a new image leaks too Samsung is going to host a press event in Berlin on August 29th. If you include today, then that's just 10 days away. Now we already know what they're going to announce there. Several weeks ago a Samsung spokesperson told Reuters that the company has plans to "unveil the next Galaxy Note". Four days ago we even saw a leaked image of the front of said device. So what's new today? Two things. First, there's another leaked image, this one courtesy of Know Your Mobile. Their sources tells them nothing we already haven't heard: 5.5 inch screen, quad core processor, ultra thin bezels, you get the idea. The second bit of "news" comes from Samsung themselves, who have uploaded a teaser video that clocks in at less than 40 seconds. It's incredibly arty, with ultra fast cut scenes, and at the end it features German director Wim Wenders. Some of you might know him from the 2011 film "Pina". httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P3divJBqlI What don't we know about that Galaxy Note II? We don't know when it'll hit the market, how much it'll cost, and what version of Android it'll run. All will be unveiled next week, but let's just say this: Similar to how ...

Samsung Galaxy S Duos with 4-inch display, 1 GHz processor, Android 4.0 announced Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S Duos that surfaced last month. It has Dual SIM support with Dual SIM always-on feature similar to the Galaxy Ace Duos that automatically forwards calls from the phone number on SIM 2, even if a user is on the phone with SIM 1's number. It has 4.0-inch WVGA(480×800) capacitive touch screen display and 1 GHz processor. It runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).It also comes with ChatON, Samsung's communication service. Samsung Galaxy S Duos Specifications 4.0-inch WVGA(480×800) capacitive touch screen display 1 GHz processor Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS 10.5 mm thick and weighs 120 grams Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) 5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash, 720p video recording and VGA secondary camera FM radio with RDS 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory that is expandable up to 32GB with microSD 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v 3.0 and aGPS 1,500mAh battery It would be available in Europe starting from September and would be rolled out across other countries gradually. No details about the price yet. Read

Sony Xperia SL with 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 official Sony Xperia SL has made an early appearance on the Sony website. It was supposed to be announced at IFA 2012 next week. It looks similar to the Xperia S that we reviewed in April, but pack in a faster 1.7 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor and comes with Android 4.0 out of the box. Other features are similar to the Xperia S including a 4.3 inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 12MP camera with LED flash, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio with RDS, NFC, 3G, Bluetooth with A2DP, WiFi, DLNA and aGPS. It has 27.8GB internal memory (up to 25.8GB user-accessible memory). It would be available Silver, Black, White and Pink colors. It says coming soon on the Sony site, but no details about the availability or the price yet.

Micromax 144F Ferrai Opus 3G data card launched for Rs. 2199 Micromax has launched the 144F Ferrai Opus, their first Ferrari branded data card. It has Plug n play functionality that connects to the network instantly without and tedious process such as driver installation or manual configuration. It offers download speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.76Mbps and also includes, Phonebook, SMS and Voice call support. Features of Micromax 144F Ferrai Opus 3G data card Configuration free, Plug n Play 3G HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps Micro SD Card Slot ( supports up to 32GB) Phonebook, SMS, Voice Call and USSD support RGB LED indicator for different states Automatic Network Selection Supports Windows, Mac OS and Linux The Micromax 144F Ferrai Opus 3G data card is priced at Rs. 2,199 and is available from nCarry.

LG Optimus Vu with Tegra 3 quad-core processor launching globally starting from September LG has announced that they would launch the LG Optimus Vu in global markets including Europe, Asia, Middle East/Africa and Latin America starting from September. LG announced the Optimus Vu at MWC 2012 earlier this February that packed in 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon Processor and came with LTE support. The Global version would come with Tegra 3 quad-core processor, Android 4.0 out of the box and would support 3G HSPA instead of LTE. LG sold more than half a million units of Optimus Vu since its debut in Korea in March and it launched in Japan earlier this month. Other features remain the same including the 5-inch (1024 × 768 Pixels) IPS Display with 4:3 Aspect Ratio, 8MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 1.3 Megapixel Front Facing Camera, 32GB Internal Memory, HDMI, DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct. India is not in the list of countries that was announced, but LG confirmed to us in July that it is coming to India later this year.