While technology enthusiasts look forward to a number of high-end smartphone announcements vendors are preparing for Mobile World Congress next month, 2012 will see entry-level smartphones become more popular than ever. Market research firm Deloitte estimates that the number of sub-$100 smartphones in use globally will surpass 500 million this year, and by the end of 2012 there will be 200 million NFC-equipped devices in the hands of consumers. The firm also sees apps continuing to play a huge role in the mob...

Apple reportedly has plans to launch two new iPad models next year according to a recent report. Set to be unveiled at a press conference in January, the two new iPads will join Apple’s iPad 2 to create an iPhone like tablet lineup. The iPad 2 will remain available at an entry-level price point, DigiTimes claimed citing unnamed industry sources, while new mid-range and high-end iPad models will launch early in 2012. Both new iPads will feature dual-LED backlit 9.7-inch displays with a resolution of 2,0...

Global shipments of low-cost Android smartphones are expected to explode over the next four years. A new report from market intelligence firm In-Stat suggests that annual shipments of sub-$150 Android phones will reach 339 million units in 2015. In-Stat says that consumers in the market for smartphones with such a low unsubsidized cost only have one option — Android — leaving current (Symbian) and future (Nokia’s secret new OS) platforms high and dry. Even in 2013, however, In-Stat views fragmentati...

Nokia on Tuesday unveiled its first two Windows Phones, a sleek high-end smartphone dubbed Lumia 800 and an affordable model called the Lumia 710. The latter is a mid-level handset that will retail for €270 abroad before taxes and subsidies. While it doesn’t have the sleek unibody architecture of the 800, it certainly packs a fair amount of bang for the buck. Starting things off, the Lumia 710 features a 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor that makes navigating the UI a fantastic experience. That’s rig...

Apple is preparing to launch a new, less expensive iPhone 4 model that will become available at the end of September alongside the iPhone 5, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Citing multiple anonymous sources, the news organization says that the retooled iPhone 4 will feature a smaller 8GB flash drive manufactured by an unnamed South Korean company. Apple has sourced flash drives for its current iPhone models from Toshiba and Samsung. Reuters also contradicts recent reports that the iPhone 5 will launch in early O...

VIZIO on Monday evening announced that its affordable 8-inch VIZIO Tablet is now available from numerous retailers nationwide. The Gingerbread-powered device is VIZIO’s first foray into the tablet space, and while the slate’s specs aren’t cutting edge, it’s unsubsidized $299 price tag makes it a great option for tablet buyers on a budget. Spec highlights include an 8-inch 1024 x 768-pixel display, Android 2.3.2 Gingerbread, 2GB of storage and support for up to 32GB of removable storag...

Apple has quietly launched a new entry-level iMac that targets education. The new model features a 21.5-inch display like the current base iMac, but the specs are dialed down in order to push pricing to a slightly more attainable starting point. Highlights include a 3.1GHz Intel Core i3 dual-core processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive and an AMD Radeon HD 6750 GPU. Pricing starts at $999, 11% higher than the last iMac aimed at the education market, and the new model is available immediately to educati...

While the Daytona 500 kicks off a race to the top each year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Nokia 500 is a race to the bottom. Nokia on Monday announced a new Symbian-powered smartphone that will aggressively attack emerging markets and smartphone users on a budget. The €150 ($217) Nokia 500 costs about what most popular smartphones do after subsidies, and it features specs we’re not used to seeing on entry-level devices. Highlights include a 1GHz processor, a 3.2-inch 640 x 360-pixel touchscree...

Images of what is claimed to be an entry-level iPhone 4 prototype have surfaced online courtesy of a site called Tinthe. The same site in the past published photos of an engineering sample white iPhone that featured what is said to have been a very early test build of iOS 4, in addition to having the white plastic MacBook before announcement and release. The iPhone this time around appears to be an iPhone 4-like device, except the user that uploaded the photos claims it’s more of an “iPhone 4 lite...

Apple has inked deals with numerous additional parts suppliers for its upcoming iPad refresh according to a new report from DigiTimes, further supporting the notion that the tech giant plans to unveil a new version of its market-leading tablet later this year. Citing industry sources, the report claims Taiwan-based component manufacturers including Novatek Microelectronics, Richtek Technology, Capella Microsystems and Integrated Memory Logic have been awarded contracts to supply integrated circuits for the iP...

Samsung’s newest budget Android phone is now available in the U.S. from T-Mobile. The Samsung Dart is a Froyo phone that sports a 3.14-inch QVGA display, a 3-megapixel camera with video capture support, 512MB of internal memory, microSDHC support up to 32GB and a 1,200 mAh battery. The specs clearly seem a bit dated, but for the low price of free on contract, this is a great budget Android phone for teens and first-time smartphone buyers. (more…)

Budget Android handsets are poised to takeoff in 2011, a new report from Digitimes suggests. The firm states that it expects 20 million to 25 million entry-level Android handsets  – defined as devices priced below $150 – will be sold globally in 2011. That figure is up from the 2.5 million to 3 million that were sold in 2010. Digitimes suggests that chips designed in China and Taiwan will drive white box OEMs to create budget-conscious handsets that will be attractive in emerging markets. An estimated 1...

We know, we know — how can we possibly get excited about an upcoming Symbian smartphone from Nokia when the OS is currently sitting on death row awaiting execution? The answer, unfortunately, is that we can’t. Typical consumers likely won’t share the same sentiment, however — especially those looking for entry-level smartphones on the cheap. For the budget-conscious crowd that isn’t at all OS-conscious, we offer up your first look at the Nokia C5-04. Little is known about the upcoming c5...

As Verizon Wireless continues to expand its Android lineup beyond DROID-branded devices, we’re seeing some nice inexpensive options from Big Red… and it doesn’t get any less expensive than free. We’ve known for some time that the LG Vortex — a CDMA version of the T-Mobile Optimus T — was on its way to to Verizon. Now, we have official confirmation of the Vortex’s imminent launch thanks to an appearance on the Verizon website above a “coming soon” label. What’...