Microsoft and Huawei will be happy to know that their Windows Phone 8 will be a big hit in Africa's emerging markets, where the competition isn't so crowded. You'll probably won't see as many high-end iPhones and Android smartphones as you do here in the US, Europe or Asia.

"Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has unveiled a bespoke Windows-run smartphone exclusively available in Africa. The customised device is being launched today in partnership with Microsoft as part of its new 4Afrika Initiative.

"Our aim is to be the most affordable Windows phone in Africa," Gustavo Fuchs, director of Microsoft Windows Phone division in the Middle East & Africa, told the BBC. It will initially be rolled out in seven countries: Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Angola, Morocco and South Africa."

Source: BBC

It's not called RIM anymore ... but just Blackberry from now on, and the new Blackberries Z10 and Q10 handsets will be launched in the UK first, you lucky Brits!

"The first two handsets powered by the new Blackberry 10 operating system have been unveiled. The Z10 is controlled via a 4.2in (10.7cm) touchscreen while the Q10 has a smaller 3.1in (7.9cm) screen and physical keyboard.

The UK will be the first to get the Z10 where it will launch on Thursday. Its appeal could determine whether the firm - which has switched its name from Research In Motion to Blackberry - has a long term future.

The new operating system had originally been due for release last year. Canada and the UAE will get the Z10 in February and the firm said it should go on sale in the US in March."

Source: BBC

Dual SIM goodness ... I think this will be a major feature for smartphones in 2013. Anyway, the newly leaked successor to the Optimus L7 will feature a large 4.3-inch screen, 8-megapixel rear camera capable of 720p video and a 1GHz dual-core chip powering Android 4..1 OS.

"As entry-level phones go, last year's Optimus L7 had a few pluses on its score sheet -- but equally some serious drawbacks, including a reluctant touchscreen and a shoddy camera module. There's always hope for progress in this business, however, and given that LG already hinted at a new L-series phone in its earnings report, we're inclined to believe a leak that's just come in from Russian site Hi.tech.mail.ru.

The pictures show a much softer-edged design with a dedicated SIM-switch button down below, in both black and white. In terms of specs, we're looking at a 2,460mAh battery that is said to last for two days, an 8-megapixel rear camera capable of 720p video and a 1GHz dual-core chip powering Android 4.1 with LG's custom UI on top. The Russian price of 12,990 rubles equates to around $430, which is a lot more than the $300 SIM-free price of the first L7 (not to mention a Nexus 4) -- but then these currency conversions are often wayward."

Source: Engadget

ZTE to show off the first smartphone with Mozilla's new Firefox OS. It comes with large 5.7-inch screen, 13 megapixel camera, quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro.

"ZTE is one of the first major OEMs to plug Mozilla's fledgling OS. We've heard about the upcoming Ubuntu OS, a would-be Linux competitor to Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android, which is set to launch in 2014.  While it's faded off the radar of some, the Mozilla Foundation is crafting a Linux OS of their own, dubbed Firefox OS.

... Additionally, ZTE teased at and then showed off (to Engadget and others), a "phablet" (a phone-cum-tablet) dubbed "Grand Memo".  The 5.7-inch device is "only" 1280x720 pixels, but it does pack a 13 megapixel camera, quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro by Qualcomm, Inc. (QCOM), and Android Jelly Bean (4.1.2).  Despite being a slender 8 mm thin, it's able to squeeze in a microSD slot for expandable memory, as well."

Source: Engadget via Dailytech

Today C|Net will have live (blog) coverage of RIM's BlackBerry 10 launch ...

"Research In Motion will finally formally unveil its BlackBerry 10 operating system and the first BlackBerrys running on the platform on Wednesday.

The launch event, which comes after years of delays and half-starts, kicks off at 7 a.m. PT. CNET's Brian Bennett and I will be bringing you the news live from New York, while Sarah Tew will be capturing photos at the event."

Source: C|Net

I've always wondered who the hell would buy Vertu phones? They're ugly and over-priced, but then I realized that if you own one of these you're pretty unique. Handcrafted metal/gold casing, genuine leather and sapphire glass ... it's the utimate rich man's gadget. At $4000 a pop, that's nothing ... it's just loose change!

"The announcement of a Vertu smartphone running Android is scheduled for February, according to the popular Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin. He further notes that the handset will cost about 3000 euro (a bit over $4000), which may seem outrageous for a phone, but it is actually pretty low for a Vertu. There are no leaked images of the rumored device, nor any hardware specifications, but it will surely be made out of premium materials, such as genuine leather, sapphire glass and hand-crafted metal. Our guess is that the Vertu Concierge service, available 24 hours a day, will also be part of the deal."

Source: PhoneArena

WTF?!? ... You might as well call it a tablet! Oh that's right, they do have a name for these devices ... they call the "phablet", Phone + Tablet in one! The Pantech's Android-powered Vega No 6 features a 5.9in (15cm) display offering full 1080 HD. However, this isn't actually the biggest phone ... China's Huawei recently unveiled a 6.1in handset, but offers a 720p diaplay.

"A South Korean firm has unveiled the biggest smartphone to date with a screen capable of showing 1080p high-definition video at full resolution. Pantech's Android-powered Vega No 6 features a 5.9in (15cm) display, which packs in 373 pixels per inch. China's Huawei recently unveiled a 6.1in handset, but it was only a 720p display.

They add to the so-called "phablet" category, as manufacturers test how big customers are willing to go. When Samsung pioneered the format with its 5.3in Galaxy Note in 2011, many analysts suggested its size was too large to find favour. But it proved a success for the firm, leading Samsung to announce a larger successor last August.

In recent months other firms, including Sony, LG, HTC and ZTE, have unveiled smartphones with 5in and larger screens. More super-sized handsets are expected to be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona which begins on 25 February."

Source: BBC