Sony Mobile is making good on its promises to update the whole of the 2011 Xperia lineup to Ice Cream Sandwich. Today the company launched the beta kernel of Ice Cream Sandwich to the Xperia Play. They’re collaborating with the community around the phone to find out what works and what doesn’t for the unique device. The company will be aiding game developers to make sure their games still run properly when the final version of the update comes out. Because this isn’t an official release, the update lacks Google centric features like Google Mobile Services. So, essentially, the update is for developers who want to optimize their games and apps for the eventual update. Which does not have a launch date outside of the nebulous Q2 2012.

Nokia today announced that it would be bringing two Windows Phone’s to China. First up, is the Lumia 610c, the phone is the same one that was announced last month at MWC, the only difference being the China specific CDMA radio inside. The second device is the flagship Lumia 800c. Again, this is the same device, the only difference being that the GSM guts are swapped for the Chinese CDMA variant. Chinese Telecom will carry both devices in Q2 of this year.

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There’s no question the Samsung Galaxy Note is a polarizing device.  The 5.3 inch, stylus-equipped monster seems to only have ardent fans, or skeptical haters. However, it appears that the device is seeing quite a bit of success. After five months on the market, Samsung has shared with us that the Note has shipped five million units. Unsurprisingly, the Korean giant isn’t sharing the sell-through on that number, but we don’t think that the Note is selling badly by any stretch of the imagination.

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LG’s latest handset on Verizon, the LG Lucid, now has an official launch date. The Lucid is set to launch on Verizon for $80 on contract (after a $50 mail-in rebate). The LTE-capable handset is a mid-range device, boasting a 4-inch Gorilla Glass display,a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 5MP camera capable of recording at 1080p (along with a VGA front-facing camera). The device houses 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot for up to an additional 32GB of external storage. (more…)

Recently Nvidia showed off its newest GPU architecture, Kepler. The newest evolution in Nvidia’s graphics tech, used in the new GeForce GTX 680, has allowed for some very impressive benchmarks in both its standard and mobile flavors. In terms of graphics cards, mobile generally stands for discreet laptop cards, but an email from CEO Jen-Hsun  to Nvidia staff reveals that the company would like to include the new technology in datacenters, super thin notebooks, and superphones. (more…)

Zynga, the worlds largest social games creator, has acquired the social game developer OMGPOP, who created the popular Android and iOS game Draw Something. The buyout brings Zynga over 35 new social games alongside the outrageously popular Draw Something. OMGPOP’s CEO, Dan Porter, is to become Vice President and General Manager of Zynga New York and he will continue production on Draw Something. (more…)

Analytics firm Flurry is reporting that in Q1 2012, China, surpassed the US as the leader in activations for both Android and iOS devices.  The US still leads in terms of total devices activated, but if this trend continues, which it likely will, then that lead will slowly but surely evaporate. Flurry’s data extends to app engagement as well. In terms of ‘app sessions,’ defined by Flurry as starting an app and spending two minutes using it, China leads the world in growth in this sector as well. China experienced growth in app sessions in excess of 1100%.

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Sprint appears to have scored a coup for the launch of its LTE network, currently scheduled to go live in the Summer. The rumor being passed around the mill is that HTC’s One X, the company’s new flagship will be leading the LTE charge on the Now Network. This wouldn’t be the first time that Sprint and HTC have teamed up to launch a flagship model. One is reminded of 2010′s incredibly successful EVO 4G.

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A Samsung suit is quoted by the Korea Times  as saying that the Samsung Galaxy S III is almost ready to ship. The quote focuses on the processor for the much-hyped phone. The processor will be an upgraded version of the dual-core Exynos processor that powered the GSII. The new version will see an upgrade to four processing cores, and, in a shot across Nvidia’s bow, the new Exynos will support LTE on the chip itself.

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Nvidia has announced a partnership with two semiconductor firms, GCT Semiconductor and Renesas Mobile. The alliance has been made to create Tegra 3 chips that are fully compatible with LTE radios. This will speed up the process of manufacturers implementing the 4G network technology into their Tegra 3 powered phones and tablets because it takes the onus of radio compatibility off of Nvidia’s OEM partners.

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