Another Budget Android Phone, This Time By Samsung

By Benedict Wee

Adding to the recent reports of budget Android smartphones, leaked pictures and a video of Samsung's next Android-running mobile -the Galaxy Lite- have surfaced on the internets.

The Galaxy Lite looks completely different from its older brother, sporting a green and white color scheme and a different button layout which makes me wonder why didn't they just choose another name for the (supposedly) cheaper mobile. Speaking of its older brother, when is the Galaxy launching anyways?

No price, specs or launch date has been announced yet so we'll keep our eyes out for more information.

Meanwhile enjoy the video demo of the phone accompanied by the musical masterpiece that is Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Source:

MobileCrunch - Samsung Galaxy Lite Gets Caught On Video, Done Up In Green.

HTC "Click" Now Known As "Tattoo" (Update: Video!)

By Benedict Wee

Gizmodo has reported that HTC's budget Android mobile (formerly known as the HTC Click) has an official name and will henceforth be called the HTC Tattoo. The final design of the mobile has also been shown on the HTC site (Update: It's been taken down); sporting a black matte finish with the Android mascot and the name of the smartphone located at the back.

The Tattoo comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card slot, 3.2MP camera, 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM, GPS, WiFi and 3G connections, FM Radio, Digital Compass and a G-Sensor.

HTC says the phone will be available in Europe come October and will be releasing the phones to other countries in the following months. No price has been reported yet but we're hoping it will be around T-Mobile's Pulse range (180GBP/NZ$433).

(Update: Here's a video of the phone stripped down. Does it mean that it'll come with interchangeable faceplates?)

Source:

Gizmodo - HTC Tattoo: Budget Android Phone Gets Slick Sense User Interface.

AndroLib Tells You What Apps Are Available In The Android Market Without Requiring An Android Device

By Benedict Wee

If you've ever wondered what applications were in the Android Market and if they were suited to your smartphone needs you can now browse through the whole catalogue conveniently via a website.

AndroLib keeps an up to date list of applications currently available in the Market and it also provides the 5-star ratings and comments from users who've downloaded a particular application.

As of today, the Android Market has over 10,000 applications, making them the second biggest source of mobile applications with the Apple App Store taking first place.

Source:

AndroLib

Video Of An Android Tablet In Action

By Benedict Wee

I'm starting to lose track of how many Android Tablets are coming out of China. I'm pretty sure I've not reported on this one however.

The MID-560 (cool name btw) -by chinese company SMiT- comes with a five-inch screen, GPS, 8GB storage, WiFi and 3G connections, a video and audio player and an eBook reader. There's an optional screen-holder accessory that you can purchase to use the tablet as a navigation system on your car as well.

The MID-560 will come in four colors and although there's no word on pricing yet, it'll probably be on the cheap side (being from China and all) so you may want to keep your eyes out for it.

Source:

CrunchGear - A 5-inch Android Tablet Lives In China!

Nokia N900 Maemo Cheaper In the US

By Benedict Wee

Looks like its "import-your-mobiles" day today. The Nokia N900 -which runs the gorgeous Maemo OS- we featured late last month goes for lesser in the United States at US$649/NZ$957.86 compared to the EU's 500Euros/NZ$1043 without contract.

If you've got mates in the US you can preorder the phone from Nokia and get a free Bluetooh headset which sweetens the deal.

Source:

Gizmodo - Nokia N900 Preorders Are Go: $650 No Contract.

UK Android Prepay Phone Is Awesome Value (Updated)

By Benedict Wee

If you've been waiting for an affordable Android phone to purchase and you got contacts in the UK then you're in luck. T-Mobile has announced the Pulse, a 3.5-inch touchscreen smartphone running the mobile OS that comes with your usual bells and whistles like a 3.2MP camera, microSD card slot, GPS, WiFi and 3G connections and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

What's really exciting is its price. At 180GBP/NZ$433, the phone is the cheapest Android mobile in the market and it doesn't come with a contract as it is a "Pay-as-you-go" (Prepay) phone. It's almost cheap enough to justify that extra handset purchase.

The T-Mobile Pulse is expected to hit the stores in October.

Update: Here's a video of the phone in action

Source:

TechCrunch - T-Mobile Introduces First Pay-As-You-Go Android Smartphone, Dubbed Pulse.

Engadget - T-Mobile Pulse Hands-on (With Video): Android Meets 3.5-inch LCD, Loves It.

Video Game Preview - Half-Minute Hero

By Benedict Wee

Platform: Sony PSP

Genre: Action/Puzzle /RPG

For: Anyone who loves fantasy role-playing action games but do not have enough time for them. Also people with ADD.

Set in an old-school 8bit fantasy universe, Half-Minute Hero puts you into your usual role-playing stereotypes tasked with the all too familiar burden of saving the world. Players get to encompass different roles to complete various missions such as a warrior who fights monsters, a dark lord who summons demons, a princess (with an army) that shoots arrows and a knight/mage duo who explore dungeons.

What sets them apart from your cliched action/role-playing fantasy game is that each mission is given a severely limited amount of time to complete. 30 seconds to be exact. The time constraint gives the game a puzzle-like feature which will see you zooming from place to place in desperate attempts to find the quickest way to finish the mission.

Half-Minute Hero will allow people with busy schedules to squeeze in a couple of minutes of game-time into their lives and the 8bit-style graphics gives the game a nostalgic feel, which is appropriate as aforementioned busy people are probably working adults who've played similar looking games when they were younger.

The game gets released in the US on October 30th.