Recently, snapshots were taken of a mystery device and according to their source, it is of an upcoming Huawei device titled the P6-UO6. No fancy specs were listed, but what has some folks abuzz is the phone’s measurements, coming in at just 6.18mm thin. For reference, the iPhone 5 is listed at 7.6mm thick. So yeah, Huawei looks to be trying to snatch away Apple’s “world’s thinnest smartphone” title. 

As interesting as this phone may look, it is hard to get too interested since seeing it here in the States on one of our four major carriers is most likely not happening. But who knows, maybe we will at least see it at next year’s CES and they can have another humorous press event.

Via: Engadget | NoWhereElse

Huawei P6-UO6 Possibly Pictured, Looks Extremely Thin at Just 6.18mm is a post from: Droid Life

One of our press stops last night included PepCom, a convention staple that always features many of the latest tech gadgetry from your favorite tech companies. It’s usually outside of whatever convention is going on, but it always pulls in great talent. While a couple of companies weren’t showing off their freshly announced phones and were saving them for the show floor, Huawei was one that had everything on hand.

So since we didn’t have time to go full hands-on with their Ascend Mate and Ascend D2, we took a minute to do just that at Pepcom. 

Ascend Mate

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ascend D2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: Hands-on With the 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate and Ascend D2 [CES 2013] is a post from: Droid Life

Earlier this afternoon, Huawei took the stage for their CES 2013 press event and left after announcing the biggest phone-tablet hybrid device to date, the Ascend Mate, along with the Ascend D2, a device they are calling the “most powerful.” Both devices mark somewhat of a new start for Huawei, or rather, a move towards the main stream. We aren’t sure how consumers will accept this Chinese company, but with the work they have done with these two phones, people should at least give them a look. 

Ascend Mate

This phone, is freakin’ huge. I hand a chance to fondle it before the press event started and came away somewhat impressed. While I still can’t do a phone this big, the build quality felt nice,  it was incredibly light for having such a massive battery, and the screen was big, beautiful and responsive.

On a spec front, you are looking at Huawei’s own 1.5GHz quad-core processor (at least I think it’s theirs), 8MP camera, 6.1″ HD display (720p), 4050mAh battery, Android 4.1, and a body that measures 6.5mm at its slimmest point.

Huawei claims to have done a bunch of work on efficiency so that your battery will last forever. Without having tested the phones for an extended period of time, it’s tough to tell what to expect.

They also showed off their screen tech, which allows you to touch the display with a glove or other object and still interact with it.

Ascend D2

While I included the Ascend Mate and its big bad self first, the Ascend D2 is what Huawei considers their flagship. It sports a 5″ 1080p display (443ppi), Huawei’s own 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 13MP camera, 3000mAh battery, and is said to be the “most powerful,” whatever that means.

The D2 looks slick, but I did not have a chance to play with it as I had to leave the event to go kick it with Samsung.

We’ll have time later to jump on both devices, however, both appear to be headed to China and may never reach our shores. Well, unless Cricket allows them in (bad joke!).

Huawei Announces the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate and the 5-inch 1080p Ascend D2 is a post from: Droid Life

Who is ready for the 6.1″ Huawei beast? The Huawei press event for CES starts at 1:00PM Pacific, and has everyone abuzz, though I don’t know how positive that noise may be. Is the 6.1″ Ascend Mate too big? Does it cross the line of phone-tablet hybrid territory? We’ll find out in a few moments.

You’ll find my solo live blog below, as Tim waits in line for this afternoon’s big Samsung event. I’ll do my best to keep up as I giggle at the insanity. 

Live: Huawei Press Event [CES 2013] is a post from: Droid Life

We as consumers are beginning to feel more comfortable about larger devices. They may not fit the needs of everyone, but there is certainly a market for the super-sized smartphone. Currently, the Galaxy Note 2 is the pinnacle of overly sized phones, but Huawei is looking to take that crown with their unveiling of the Ascend Mate – measuring in with a 6.1″ 1080p display. Massive. 

Other than that larger-than-life size, the phone will feature a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, an even larger 4,000 mAh battery, all tucked into a 9.9mm thick frame. Not too shabby. The device is set for official launch at this year’s CES, just a couple of weeks away.

Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to get a hands on.

Via: Engadget

Huawei’s 6.1″ Ascend Mate Officially Crosses the Line of Being “Un-Pocketable” is a post from: Droid Life

A U.S. panel known as the House Intelligence Committee (HIC) released a report this morning, recommending that American businesses and the government avoid using products made by Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese tech companies. The report characterizes the two companies as a “national security threat” because of internal documents that were obtained from former Huawei employees that show it supplies services to the People’s Liberation Army. Representatives from the HIC said that they were disappointed by incomplete and contradictory responses during their investigation and that the committee is concerned over the amount of funding to these companies that comes in via the Chinese government. 

Huawei is denying any wrongdoing, saying that they have nothing to hide. In fact, they claim that they tried to work with the HIC for 11 months, but that the committee had a predetermined track that it wanted to follow:

“Unfortunately, the committee’s report not only ignored our proven track record of network security in the United States and globally, but also paid no attention to the large amount of facts that we have provided,” Huawei said in its statement, later adding that, “the report released by the committee today employs many rumors and speculations to prove nonexistent accusations.”

ZTE on the other hand, said that they had not seen the report (which seems odd), and would only offer the following statement:

“[ZTE is] China’s most independent, transparent, globally focused publicly traded company.”

So, if you were planning on picking up one of those ultra-low priced ZTE tablets from your local electronics store or hoping that Huawei (WAH-WAY!) would produce the next Nexus, you may want to turn your focus elsewhere.

Via:  NYTimes

House Intelligence Committee Warns Against Use of Huawei and ZTE Products, Could be Used by China to Spy on U.S. is a post from: Droid Life

The Wall Street Journal reported last night that Google is unsure of what to do with the product side of their Motorola acquisition. As has been mentioned by numerous tech pundits, the overall feeling was that this purchase was made simply for patents, since Moto has a ton of them. With a growing need for IP protection after battles with the likes Apple, Microsoft and Oracle, most believe that the hardware side of things in this move had almost nothing to do with it.

In the WSJ report, there was mention of Google potentially shopping Motorola’s handset business to competitors, namely Huawei. This is not the first time that anyone has brought up the possibility that Google would want to sell off  some of what Motorola has. In fact, within the last few weeks, rumors suggested that their set top box business may be up for sale, so that they could focus solely on smartphones. But what if they decided to offload it all? Was this move really only about patents?

Motorola hasn’t exactly been killing the smartphone landscape as of late, so maybe this move makes sense for Google. At the same time though, how disappointed would many of us be to see one of the major Android players disappear? While we can’t stand some of Moto’s policies around “security,” most of us agree that there aren’t many who can make a handset with their quality.

What do you think? Were you hoping that Google would make them the darling of the Android world again? Or have you moved onto other pastures?

Via:  WSJ

Wednesday Poll: Would you care if Google sold off Motorola’s handset business? is a post from: Droid Life

The Motorola RAZR had a good run, but it is no longer the slimmest phone in the world. That title now belongs to the phone Huawei just announced at CES 2012, the Ascend P1 S. This 4.3″ 960 x 540 touchscreen has Corning Gorilla Glass (the original Gorilla Glass, not the 2 that we expect Corning to show this week) protecting its sleek body that houses a 1.5GHz dual-core processor inside. And it’s only 5.68mm thick, the RAZR being 7.1mm.

The press picture is not lying either, the phone will launch with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. An 8MP camera on the rear and a 1.3MP shooter on the front are your camera options and the back has a dual-LED flash to light up those darker pictures for you. It will be available in  black, white and pink for you fashion conscious people out there. No mention of LTE radios yet though, that will remain to be seen. Keep an eye out for our hands-on with this phone later this week.

Las Vegas, U.S.A., January 9, 2012: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, unveiled the world’s slimmest smartphone today at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Huawei Ascend P1 S is 6.68mm thin and features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 960 x 540 touchscreen with Corning^®Gorilla^® Glass. The Ascend P1 S is also the fastest and most compact smartphone in its class with a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

“We’re excited to unveil the world’s slimmest smartphone here at CES 2012,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device. “The Ascend P1 S demonstrates our ongoing commitment to innovating high quality devices that utilize the latest hardware and software technologies.”

Huawei also unveiled the Ascend P1 which, as part of the same smartphone series, boasts the same functionality while measuring 7.69mm. Delivering the ultimate in elegance and speed with a 1670mAh/1800mAh battery, the Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S series provides the fastest multi-tasking, video replay and gaming experience in its class.

The Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S series feature a super-sleek and narrow 64.8mm body, elegant contours and an effortlessly stylish design. The PPVD back cover coating evenly distributes heat, and provides a strong metallic, three-dimensional design with a delicate texture. The Ascend P1/P1 S is available in metallic black, ceramic white and cherry-blossom pink with more colors to come to match your personal style wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.

The Ascend P1/P1 S brings your digital world to life with its impressive 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing and 1.3-megapixel HD front-facing cameras with dual flash LED and HDR effect optimization. The Ascend P1/P1 S allows you to capture special moments in sharper, brighter and clearer detail both in light and dim environments. Relive your most memorable moments on the Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S with its stunning 1080p HD video-capture capabilities. Its high speed data connectivity through 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth and in-built social media capabilities enable you to instantly share your photos and videos via social media.

The Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S will be available in Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, Australia, Middle East, and China from April 2012.

About Huawei Device

Huawei Device believes that everyone can be the center of information and that the world would be a better place if access and information barriers were knocked down. Its strong suite of mobile phones, mobile broadband devices and home devices is testimony to Huawei Device’s focus on customers and its commitment to providing user-friendly mobile internet experiences through ongoing innovation. Based on more than two decades of success in the information and communications industry, and with our own channel expertise, operational capabilities and global partner resources, Huawei Device is transforming from a company that sells millions of devices in single transactions to large businesses, to a “Business-to-People” (B2P) brand that also sells individual devices directly to millions of people. As at the end of 2011, Huawei Device serves more than 500 operators all over the world. For more information, visit Huawei Device online: www.huaweidevice.com

Huawei Ascend P1 S Slims Down For World’s Slimmest Phone Title is a post from: Droid Life