TECH SPECIAL..Stars at The 2012 Mobile World Congress

Quad core processors, ultra high resolution screens and Android 4.0 seem to be the flavour of the season for smartphones say Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat, as they round up the launches from the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

HTC One Series: HTC's One series includes the One X (4.7-inch, quad-core 1.5Ghz, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage), One S (4.3-inch, dual-core 1.5Ghz, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage) and One V (3.7-inch, 1Ghz, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage). All three will feature Android 4.0 and come with Beats Audio tech. The One X and One S will also have a 8MP camera which can do simultaneous HD video and image recording.



Nokia Lumia 610 & 808 PureView: The Lumia 610 will be the cheapest Windows Phone device from Nokia. It has a 3.7-inch display, 800Mhz processor with 256MB RAM and will support Nokia's proprietary apps such as Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps. The 808 PureView boasts of the world's first 41MP sensor in a phone. It runs Nokia Belle on a 4-inch display with a 1.3Ghz processor & 512MB RAM.



Sony Xperia P & Xperia U: Both these new additions to the Xperia range feature Android 2.3 on a dual-core 1Ghz processor. The Xperia P has unibody construction and features a 4-inch display, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, HDMI out and an 8 MP rear camera. Xperia U has a 3.5-inch display, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and a 5MP rear camera. Both phones will be upgraded to Android 4.0 later this year.



Acer Cloud Mobile: While full specs for Acer’s CloudMobile are unclear, we do know that it won the iF Design Award this year, has a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.5Ghz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and access to AcerCloud, a new service by Acer that stores all your data and media and syncs it across Acer branded PCs.



Lava Xolo X900: A partnership between Intel and Lava has led to the Xolo X900, the first Android smartphone powered by an Intel Atom processor. The single core processor is clocked at 1.6Ghz. It also features an 8MP rear camera, 3MP front camera and 4.03-inch 1024 x 600 pixel capacitive touchscreen. It is slated for an India launch in Q3 this year.



Huawei Ascend D Quad: As the name suggests, the D Quad is powered by a 1.2Ghz quad core processor with 1GB RAM. In keeping with the HD screen trend, it has a 4.5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel display, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video, 1.3MP front camera, and Android 4.0. Despite the impressive specs, the phone is just 8.9mm thick and weighs 130 grams.



LG Optimus 4X HD P 880: Successor to LG's dual core Optimus 2X, the 4X has Android 4.0, a 1.5Ghz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, GeForce graphics and 16GB storage — all in a svelte shell that is only 8.8mm thick. The 4.7-inch HD IPS display (1280 x 720 pixels) takes up most of the front while the rear is graced by an 8MP camera that can also record videos in 1080P full HD.



Samsung Galaxy Beam: Wanting to stand out from the smartphone crowd at MWC, Samsung's Androidpowered Galaxy Beam has a built in pico projector (640 x 360 pixels, 15 Lumens) capable of putting out a 50-inch screen. It also features a 4-inch Amoled touchscreen, 1Ghz dual core processor, 8GB on board storage, dual cameras and a weight of 145 grams.

(ET120229)