For those that already own a MediaPad you can expect to receive the update to Google’s latest Android OS before the end of the first quarter. If you do not already own one of these devices and are interested, the ICS pre-loaded versions are expected to launch during this first quarter at some point also. Additionally the company will also be offering the device in three new colors; passion pink, classic brown and shadow black as well as in its original color silver as explained in the article at Recombu.

Huawei Chairman Richard Yu said ‘In a tablet market defined by staid black and white tablets, the new colorful MediaPad offers a personalized look without the need for an external case.’ For those that are unaware of what the Huawei MediaPad is all about here is a quick reminder of its key features. They include 6 hours of battery life, a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, full 1080p HD video playback capability and a 7” display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution as well as the up to date version of the most popular OS on the market Android.

In related news, the UK mobile network provider, Orange is offering the device under the name Tahiti for those that are interested in owning the tablet in the UK. Meanwhile Huawei has also been showing of it super-thin Android smartphone, the Ascend P1 S at CES, which is also packing an Ice Cream Sandwich surprise. Are you a fan of Huawei products? Are you glad to hear an ICS upgrade is on the way?

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The elusive stock versions of Android, where would we be without them? Some smartphone owners felt a bit shortchanged when they found out the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon still shipped with pre-loaded Verizon apps, as well as a lack of Google Wallet, despite the handset carrying the ‘Nexus’ moniker which implied that the software would be untouched, like the Nexus S before it.

That didn’t happen, but for consumers that are still looking for a vanilla version of Ice Cream Sandwich, you’ll want to keep your eyes on the Ascend P1 S, as aside from stock ICS, Huawei are also claiming the handset to be the ‘world’s slimmest handset’. How slim you ask? Well a mere 6.68mm of thickness to be exact, which is even thinner than the lovely Droid RAZR which measures in at 7.1mm thick.

The handset will also boast decent hardware specs, such as a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor, a 4.3-inch qHD display with Gorilla Glass, 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera with 1.3MP front-facing camera and 1080p video recording capabilities. You’ll also be pleased to hear that the Ascend P1 S will be available in three colors, either metallic black, ceramic white and ‘cherry-blossom pink’.

As for a release, there is no solid release date yet but Huawei has stated that consumers should expect the handset to become available in the US sometime in April. The Huawei brand may not be that familiar to you, but does the fact that this is a stock Ice Cream Sandwich handset interest you? We’ll be keeping our eyes on this one for sure.

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In the UK it is hard to find a mobile broadband solution which delivers fast and reliable service, therefore most people opt for home broadband via their telephone line, could Huawei’s E586 MiFi and Three’s network team up to change this once and for all? Here’s our review.

Opening up the packaging reveals the MiFi unit and its battery, a mains plug with a USB port, two USB cables (1 x 17cm and 1 x 1.2m), a dock / cradle, the SIM card and all the paper work. The first thing we realised was just how small and light the E586 is, in fact you could keep it in your pocket without realising it is even in there. In terms of design the face of the MiFi unit is glossy, whilst the back and sides have a matte finish, also there is a small display which shows you signal strength etc and a microSD memory card slot for storage.

The first thing to do is insert the SIM card, simply pop off the back cover and remove the battery, here the SIM card slot is located. Once you have reinserted the battery and put the back cover back on you are ready to go, simply press the power button down for approximately 3 seconds and wait a few seconds and the MiFi will start up and automatically connect to Three’s network.

You can now connect your device(s) wirelessly to the MiFi, pressing the key button on the side of the MiFi reveals the SSID and WPA key. If you wish to change this you can, however during our tests we left the default WPA key and SSID. The Huawei E586 allows for up to 5 simultaneous connections and we had no problems connecting to the MiFi at any point, it is also worth knowing that you can also change many other settings by logging in to the MiFi via your web browser, however the standard settings are fine.

On the MiFi’s small display you can see lots of useful information, this includes battery level, connection status / strength, how much data you have used and how long you have been connected. During testing it took me over a day to use up 1GB of data, this is despite accessing YouTube, Spotify and other data-intensive websites / services. For £18.99 per month Three will give you a 15GB allowance, I think that this will be more than enough for the majority of consumers.

I tried out the MiFi at different times of day and in different locations within a 5 mile radius of my home, I did find that in the evenings connection speeds decreased, but most of the time I managed to experience 5 Mbps download speeds and 1.5 Mbps upload speeds. HSPA+ is said to support speeds of over three times this (21.6 Mbps down, 5.76 Mbps up) and I don’t doubt that in other areas Three’s network delivers speeds closer to this. My current home broadband provider only delivers 12 Mbps down and 0.8 Mbps up, therefore in a year or so we may see that mobile broadband is a better option that home broadband in certain areas.

One great thing about the Huawei E586 is the fact that it can deliver an internet connection to computers which don’t have WiFi connectivity, all of the required software is located on the MiFi unit, so simply plug it in via USB and run the installer, you will then have a new shortcut on your desktop which is your new portal to the worldwide web.

The E568 is said to 100 hours standby time, but we were more interested to see how much usage you could get from a single charge. I decided to turn off my home broadband for the day and instead only use the MiFi unit, during testing I constantly accessed the web on my laptop and also also connected my iPhone and BlackBerry to the network and used those for social networking etc, it lasted 5 and a half hours before the battery ran out, which I think is very impressive. The battery life isn’t greatly important to everyone as the MiFi can be charged over USB or via the mains, but it at least means that if for some reason you are without a power source it should last you pretty much a whole working day.

When using the Huawei E586 at home simply sit it in its dock and it will keep fully charged, it sits at an angle which allows you to easily see the display and doesn’t clutter up your desk. If you are going to use the MiFi unit when you are out and about it comes with a handy 17cm USB cable meaning that it can be easily charged by any computer with a USB port.

Throughout our tests we almost forgot that we were using mobile broadband, in fact during a few days of usage it only ever failed us once, for some reason it lost connectivity to the network, however turning it off and back on resolved the issue in a matter of seconds.

Conclusion

Before testing out the Huawei E586 MiFi on Three’s HSPA+ network I was a little sceptical as to whether it could really deliver a good enough service to suit a self-confessed technology geek, well I have to say that it delivered far beyond my expectations. Sites like YouTube worked fine and buffering wasn’t an issue, also the connection is reliable enough to assure you that you have a fast web connection with you no-matter where you go (97% national coverage), the only thing that I would say is that you have to be careful not to go over your monthly allowance as you will get charged 10.2p per MB used, this makes it unsuitable for online gaming etc. As Three’s network grows stronger we are sure that speeds should get faster and the decrease in connection speed during peak times should be less noticeable, if you are looking for cheap, fast and reliable mobile broadband you can’t go wrong with the Huawei E586 MiFi on Three.

You can head over to Three’s website to buy yourself the Huawei E586 MiFi here, there are lots of different pricing options available to suit different types of users and the unit is available in either white or black.

Below we have added some more photos from our hands-on review:

More About: Huawei, Three, Three UK

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The China based Telecommunications Company announced their high end product yesterday and will be hoping to compete in the market at the highest level with it when it releases globally. Judging from its impressive looking specs, they might just be able to do so, which will mark a first for this company.

These specs include Google’s Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS, an 8 megapixel camera capable of HD recording as well as a front-facing 2 megapixel camera, a 1900mAh battery allowing up to three days of life when in standby, a 4” capacitive touchscreen display with 24-bit color resolution, a 16:9 screen ratio and 854 x 480 pixel resolution. According to the report from ITProPortal it will be powered by a 1.4GHz core Qualcomm Snapdragon.

Overall the Honor is an attractive looking design as its slim weighs just 140g and is a mere 11mm thick. No word of an exact launch date for those interested in an iPhone 5 alternative in the UK, although reports are suggesting it will be available in 2012. Only then will we be able to give a more accurate date as well as a price.

We’ve brought our readers a lot of news about the Nexus Prime recently and now we have introduced the Huawei Honor. Both are looking impressive but will they be able to compete with the might of the Apple iPhone 5? Let us know your thoughts.

More About: apple, Huawei, samsung

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This smartphone is the AT&T Huawei Impulse 4G, in terms of technical specifications you get a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display which outputs at a WVGA resolution, a 5 megapixel camera capable of 720p video capture, WiFi, GPS and Android 2.2 FroYo – we think you will agree that this OS will deliver a rich enough smartphone experience for those of you who don’t want the most cutting-edge smartphone on the market.

As you can see there is nothing too amazing about the tech specs, however we can confirm that from September 18 AT&T will sell you the Impulse 4G for just $29.99 as part of a two-year deal – AT&T say that consumers are looking to get the most from their money these days, therefore this is a perfect choice and Huawei seem confident that its first-ever AT&T smartphone will be a success.

In terms of physical design and size the Impulse 4G is surprisingly eye pleasing, it measures in at 120 x 65 x 11.6mm meaning that it is not as thin as expensive alternatives, also we guess that it will have a very “plasticy” design, however if you check out the image below we think you will agree that you will find it harder to find a better-looking $30 handset.

We don’t have official details regarding performance hardware such as how much RAM is inside or what processor speed it boasts, however Gadgetian.com suggests that there is an 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM – we think that these specs should deliver a pretty reach user experience considering how much you are paying – what do you think?

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The Huawei E586 MiFi will connect to the upgraded HSPA+ network, according to Three UK this is “the first mobile Wi-Fi device in the UK to feature next generation HSPA+ mobile broadband technology”, which means faster internet connectivity than previous MiFi offerings. The E586 will become available in September and will allow for up to 4.5 hours of usage from a single charge, don’t worry though as it does come with its own charging cradle – however we’re not yet sure if this plugs in to the mains or a USB port.

From what we can see the Huawei E586 MiFi will offer secure WiFi connectivity for up to five devices at once, there is an OLED screen which lets you see how fast your connection is, the length of browsing time and the amount of data used – this will help ensure that you do not go over your data allowance. In terms of software we are told that there will be a new-look dashboard that allows you to view SMS and further configure settings. One other thing to mention is that the MiFi features a microSD memory card slot which supports cards of up to 32GB.

As the name suggests the E586 is quite similar to the Huawei E585 (ignoring the HSPA+ connectivity) which is currently available from Three, you can find out all about MiFi price plans here, we wonder whether Three UK will stick to these data allowances and monthly rates as current caps will soon be eaten up with 21.1 Mbps download speeds that HSPA+ brings to the table – that said the prices are great.

We really think that Three UK is breaking away from the pack when it comes to its 3G network’s download and upload speeds, do you use Three mobile broadband? If so, what speeds are you currently getting (you can run a test here).

Note: Soon we should be receiving the Huawei E586 MiFi, so stay tuned for our hands-on review.

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As Darren Murph over at engadget.com recently noted, the Huawei Vision may fall short in terms of raw horsepower compared to handsets such as the HTC EVO 3D or the Samsung Galaxy S II, but it’s more than capable of holding its own. The handset features an aluminum alloy uni-body frame in silver, rose gold or charcoal, and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The Huawei Vision – which measures just 9.9mm at its thinnest point and weighs around 121 grams – is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8255 processor, and comes with a 3.7-inch capacitive touch-screen display, a 1400mAh battery and a five-megapixel autofocus camera with 720p video capture and LED flash.

It also features 512MB of RAM, 2GB of ROM, a microSD card slot that supports memory cards up to 32GB, a micro-USB port, A-GPS, proximity sensor, an FM radio tuner and light sensor. In terms of connectivity, the Huawei Vision smartphone comes with both Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n). The handset is also said to come with a ‘3D user interface.’

Thanks to its full range of messaging capabilities, which include IM, SMS, MMS, Push Mail and Email, the Huawei Vision makes it a lot easier to stay connected with friends and family. Besides having access to the full range of Android apps, the Vision smartphone also comes pre-installed with ‘Guerrilla Bob HD,’ ‘Order & Chaos Online,’ ‘Angry Birds’ and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline.’

Although there has been no word on a price at this stage, we do know that the Huawei Vision will be arriving in select markets sometime in September. Do you like the sound of the Huawei Vision smartphone?

More About: Android, Huawei

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If you were left wanting to know more about the Huawei MediaPad tablet after watching the said video, then you’ll be pleased to know that the specs and release info has now been revealed. As George Wong from ubergizmo.com reports, the Huawei MediaPad will be the very first tablet to run on Android 3.2 Honeycomb and be powered by Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor.

Yes, you did read the Android 3.2 Honeycomb part correctly!! According to the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Victor Xu, 3.2 is the first Android version that has been optimized for 7-inch tablets. The Huawei MediaPad comes with a 7-inch display with a pixel density of 217 PPI. That’s pretty impressive compared to the 132 PPI of the Apple iPad and the 150 PPI of the Motorola Xoom.

The MediaPad comes with support for HDMI output, Flash 10.3 and 1080p full HD video, and is said to play video and audio files of any format including WMV, H.264, Flash and MP3. The tablet features a sleek two-tone uni-body aluminum alloy body, weighs just 0.86 pounds and measure 10.5mm thick. It also comes with a GPS radio, A-GPS support, HSPA+ 14.4Mbps and Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity.

In regards to the dual cameras, the Huawei MediaPad comes with a 5-megapixel rear facing camera with HD video capture, and a 1.3 front facing camera. Not only will the MediaPad tablet support the Android Market and the manufacturer’s own app store, but it will also support other third party app stores. Unfortunately there was no mention about a price for the newly announced Android tablet.

What Victor Xu did mention however was that the tablet will be available worldwide (Asia, America and select European countries) sometime in the third quarter of this year, and will be sold through retail outlets and carriers. Do you like the sound of the Huawei MediaPad tablet PC?

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The video, which can be viewed below, reveals the device just enough to leave the consumer curious as to what it is capable of while showing off how interesting the users find it. The front of the tablet is never pictured in the advert but there are a fair amount of rear shots.

These rear shots reveal a fine white finish chassis that leaves other tablets looking bland. Although there is little else unveiled about the device in the commercial, if you’re interested in buying one we recommend you watch it anyway. Maybe then you’ll be able to tell us what message the company is trying to get across from their somewhat confusing video.

The MediaPad is due to release on June 20th and the size of the device is only an estimate from the video. Check out the article at RegHardware for more about the device.

What do you think of this new tablet from Huawei?

More About: Huawei

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According to Yahoo News Huawei will install the £50 million network for free and it will involve installing mobile transmitters on the ceilings of the underground tunnels, Vodafone and O2 have agreed to pay for the installation work and Huawei hope to get a return via maintenance fees.

There are some concerns suggesting that getting a Chinese firm to provide the network posed a security risk, the Conservative party’s Patrick Mercer had this to say on the matter “It has been proven that a proportion of the cyberattacks on this country come from China”, however Huawei has been around for 23 years and its founder claims that he has no ties the Chinese military.

We are unsure as to when this work will begin, however with the London Olympics kicking of in July 2012 we would imaginer it would have to start pretty soon.

Are you concerned about the potential security risks?

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