2012 New Upcoming Mobile phones

Asus Padfone

This 3-in-1 Ice Cream Sandwich device covers all bases as it attempts to be a mobile phone, tablet and netbook. Oh and there’s a stylus which you can use as a handset to answer calls. What’s not to like?

The Asus Padfone release date is set for April in the UK.

Read our hands on: Asus Padfone review

Huawei Ascend P1 S

At just 6.68mm thick the Ascend P1 S is the world’s thinnest phone. That’s not all though; Huawei has managed to squeeze a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED and 8MP camera into the slender, plastic body.

The Huawei Ascend P1 S release date is expected to be at the end of March.

Read our hands on: Huawei Ascend P1 S review

Motorola Motoluxe

The budget Motorola Motoluxe comes with a 4-inch FWVGA screen, 800MHz processor, 8MP camera and runs Android Gingerbread, but an update to Ice Cream Sandwich will arrive later this year.

The Motorola Motoluxe is available now for around £230.

Read our hands on: Motorola Motoluxe review

Motorola Defy Mini

The dust- and water-resistant Motorola Defy Mini is a rugged entry level phone, built to survive – not to wow. You’ll get a 600MHz processor, 3.2-inch screen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 120MB internal storage and a 3MP camera with LED flash.

Motorola has said the Defy Mini release date is set for Spring, but has not given us any further clues on an actual month.

Read our hands on: Motorola Defy Mini review

LG Optimus 4X HD

Stomping into the quad-core party the LG Optimus 4X HD hurls itself at the top end market with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, NFC, 8MP camera and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The LG Optimus 4X HD UK release date will be during Q2 2012.

Read ourhands on: LG Optimus 4X HD review

HTC One X

Another pretender to the quad-core throne is the HTC One X with its 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 4.7-inch Super LCD touchscreen, 8MP camera, 32GB of internal storage and Android Ice Cream Sandwich with the new HTC Sense 4.0 overlay.

The HTC One X release date is set for Q2 2012.

Read our hands on: HTC One X review

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2

The sequel to the original Ace, the Galaxy Ace 2 brings an 800MHz dual-core processor, 3.5-inch screen, 5MP camera and runs Android Gingerbread.

We reckon the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 will come in at around £200-£300, and it’s been suggested it will arrive in late April.

Read our hands on: Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

Nokia 808 Pureview

Want a phone which takes amazing pictures? Then look no further, for the Nokia 808 Pureview comes packing an astonishingly gigantic 41MP camera! The rest of the specs are slightly less impressive, with a 1.3GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM and it comes running Symbian Belle.

According to reports the Nokia 808 Pureview release date will be 23 April and will cost around £450.

Read our hands on: Nokia 808 Pureview review

Sony Xperia P

The mid-range Sony Xperia P brings together sleek design and pleasing specs into an affordable package. You’ll get a dual-core 1GHz processor, 4-inch (540 x 960) screen, 8MP camera, NFC and Android Gingerbead – with an ICS upgrade coming later in the year.

The Sony Xperia P release date is set for Q2 2012.

Read our hands on: Sony Xperia P review

HTC One S

The HTC One S is a decent mid-to-high end handset with its 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch AMOLED display, 8MP camera and Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0 operating system.

The HTC One S release date is set for Q2 2012.

Read our hands on: HTC One S review

ZTE Mimosa X

The middle of the road ZTE Mimosa X boasts a dual-core processor, 4.3-inch qHD screen, 5MP camera and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in a plastic body which has a certain Nokia-esque look.

The ZTE Mimosa X release date is set for Q2 2012.

Read our hands on: ZTE Mimosa X review

Nokia Lumia 610

The Nokia Lumia 610 is an entry level Windows Phone offering from the Finnish company and comes with an 800MHz processor, 256MB of RAM, 3.7-inch LCD screen, 5MP camera and runs the new Windows Phone Tango operating system.

The Nokia Lumia 610 release date is expected to be during Q2 2012 and we’ve heard it could come in at under £100.

Read our hands on: Nokia Lumia 610 review

Huawei Ascend D Quad

Huawei may still be a minnow in the mobile phone pond, but it’s not afraid to mix it with the big boys and the quad-core powered Ascend D Quad signals its intent. It runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich and also offers a 4.5-inch HD screen and 8MP snapper.

The Huawei Ascend D Quad release date is set for April.

Read our hands on: Huawei Ascend D Quad review

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2

The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 is a budget handset that performs pretty well given its modest specs. The feature list includes a single-core 800MHz processor, HVGA display Android Gingerbread and 3MP camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 release date is still unclear, but it could cost around £100.

Read our hands on: Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 review

Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus

We didn’t see it at MWC 2012, but there is still a chance that the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus could make an appearance prior to the much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S3 launch.

The Galaxy S2 Plus is rumoured to pack a quicker 1.5GHz processor and run Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

LG Optimus Vu

The LG Optimus Vu provides a different take on mobile computing as it boasts a unique 4:3 aspect ratio screen. The 5-inch IPS display (1024×768) display can be controlled by hand or using the bundled stylus. It’s powered by a 1.5GHZ dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8MP camera while running Android Gingerbread.

The LG Optimus Vu release date is still unclear, as LG is unlikely to bring the LTE enabled Vu to the UK, but are not ruling out the possibility.

Read our hands on: LG Optimus Vu review

LG Optimus L7

The daddy in LG’s new L-style range, the LG Optimus L7 brings angular looks along with a 1GHz processor, 4.3-inch screen, 5MP camera and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The LG Optimus L7 release date is currently unknown.

Read our hands on: hands on: LG Optimus L7 review

Sony Xperia U

The Sony Xperia U comes in at the bottom of Sony’s new phone line up, but still offers good looks and a dual-core 1GHz processor, 3.5-inch TFT display, 5MP camera and Android Gingerbread with an Ice Cream Sandwich update planned for Q2.

The Sony Xperia U release date is set for Q2 2012.

Read our hands on: Sony Xperia U review

HTC One V

The HTC One V sports the design found on the Legend and slides in at the bottom of HTC’s 2012 range. It sports a 3.7-inch screen, 1GHz processor, 5MP camera and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The HTC One V release date is set for Q2 2012.

Read our hands on: HTC One V review

Orange Santa Clara

The Intel manufactured Orange Santa Clara is the UK’s first mobile to include Intel’s new Medfield mobile processor. You get a single-core 1.6GHz Intel processor, 4-inch screen, 8MP camera and it runs Android Gingerbread, but will receive an Ice Cream Sandwich update after launch.

The Orange Santa Clara release date is set for summer 2012.

Read our hands on: Orange Santa Clara review

Samsung Galaxy Beam

The Samsung Galaxy Beam comes complete with integrated projector capable of beaming a 50-inch picture onto the wall of your choice. It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and packs a 1GHz dual-core processor, backed up by a 2000mAh battery.

The Samsung Galaxy Beam release date is unclear, as we’re unsure if it will ever make it to the UK.

Read our hands on: Samsung Galaxy Beam review

Pansonic Eluga Power

The waterproof and dustproof Eluga Power is Panasonic’s new flagship mobile device packing a huge 5-inch HD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, NFC, 8MP camera and running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Panasonic Eluga Power release date is set for late Q2 / early Q3 2012.

Read our hands on: Pansonic Eluga Power review

ZTE Era

ZTE’s first major offensive on the mobile market this year is the ZTE Era, a quad-core Tegra 3 running smartphone with a 4.3-inch qHD screen to boot. You will also get an 8MP camera and some tasty Ice Cream Sandwich action with the Era.

The ZTE Era release date is set for the second half of 2012.

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5 Unbreakable Rules of Landing Page Design

The landing page of your website fulfils many functions. It’s like a front door to your website:

• it provides the user a snapshot of your topic or product
• its visual design and colors convey subtle information about your professionalism, trustworthiness, and attitude
• its links and organization reveal the structure and contents of the rest of your site
• and the words you choose and how you use them reflect on your attention to detail and dedication to your product or topic.

With your landing page conveying so much, it is important to get it right. Here are the things to consider when designing a landing page.

Include media

The first rule of landing page design is to always include a picture or video, especially if you are selling a product.  The user wants to see what you have to offer, and visual representation helps to do this.

 

Another reason to include a picture is to prevent the page from being a wall of text, which is too dense and may scare users off.  Using media is also important to prevent the page from being too sparse, which may give your site the appearance that it is unfinished.

Make sure the picture or video is relevant, of course: do not just put up a picture to have a picture. This is easy to do with the wealth of stock photos out there. Make it specific to the topic of your page.

If you are selling a product, it is a good idea to make a video showing it off and host it on YouTube. You can have even more impact and seem more professional if you host the video yourself, however this removes the social media aspects of YouTube, which can be very helpful from a marketing standpoint.

It’s also a good idea to make sure your media is high quality, and can be viewed on the majority of users’ systems. Make sure to use a common format and test it on different systems and different browsers. This will not only reveal media incompatibilities, but other design issues as well.

Avoid clutter

It is important to keep the topic of the landing page focused.

Introduce the topic or product and provide a short description, a picture, and relevant links. Do not overload the page with endless text and useless links, as this will overwhelm and confuse the user.

A good rule for text is that it should be no longer than 15 words wide. Wide columns of text are harder for the user to follow with their eyes. If your column width is too wide, your users may become lost and give up on your site. If your page has a word width of over 20 words, you need to reduce the column width.

Make sure to keep the links to a minimum in the body text of the main content area. This is because too many links in the body text is distracting and your users may be too busy clicking on links to get around to reading your content. It is best to put those links in a sidebar or along the top of the page.

A good way to assess the degree to which your site is cluttered is to do the squint test. The squint test consists of squinting your eyes until you can only see the outline and basic shape of your page. Notice areas of empty space and areas that have content. Make sure there is a good balance and that each area has a good mix of negative space and content.

Avoiding clutter refers not only to content but to design elements as well. This does not mean that you cannot have any design elements on your landing page; quite the contrary, without them your page would be boring and unappealing. The trick is to use them as a highlight or accent.

Use designs to frame your content and to fill in blank spaces. Keep the designs simple and unobtrusive. If the designs are too extravagant or eye-catching, they may distract from your content, which is what you want your user to focus on.

Use perfect grammar and spelling

One of the most important rules of landing page design is to have perfect grammar and spelling.

Nothing will turn users off faster than a spelling error or horribly constructed sentence. While it might not be fair, users do attribute spelling and grammar errors to the author’s lack of skill, expertise and authority.

Spelling and grammar errors are easy to miss, especially in your own writing. The solution is to have two or three people edit your work. Three pairs of eyes are better than one. Make sure at least one of the people editing your work is an experienced editor and is able to correct poor grammar.

The way you use words can have a powerful effect on your users. Choose your words carefully, as words have a great effect on tone and mood. For example, if you are selling flowers, keep the tone light and cheerful and avoid complex or uncommon words.

Create effective links

It’s very important to make sure that your users can recognize where the links on your page are located, what they link to, and how they relate to the links around them.

Effective linking is the cornerstone of good navigation and it is most important on your landing page, the front door to your website.

The most important aspect of effective linking is giving your links good names. The link text should be concise and descriptive. Keeping link names short will help to keep your sidebar width down, which is more appealing.

It’s also important to keep links grouped together on the side in a sidebar or along the top of the page. Links tend to get lost when they are placed in the body text in the middle of the page within paragraphs.

Organize your links in a meaningful way: alphabetical, chronological, largest to smallest, and so on. This will help users to find the link they need quickly if they can easily recognize the organization scheme you are using. A good example of this is when you see a drop down menu from which you are to select your home state, the states are usually listed in alphabetical order so you can quickly find your home state.

The final thing to consider when creating links is that the links on the page should be obvious as links. Do not make your users go hunting for links or have them clicking on words or pictures that are not links. While your users may be able to find links by hovering the mouse cursor over them, this may frustrate some. You want it to be as easy as possible for users to navigate your site.

Group links into categories, give them obvious names, and make sure they stand out as links. Your users will thank you.

Use colors wisely

The final rule when making a website landing page is to make wise use of colors.

Colors have a very strong effect on users.

• Blue conveys a sense of trust and reliability. Notice how many businesses use the color blue in their logos.
• Red is exciting, a warning, stop, or blood.
• Black can be evil, nothingness, modern, or stylish.
• Yellows and oranges are fiery, flashy, and bold.
• Green is natural, money, or calm.

Keep in mind that these are just generalizations. They vary across cultures, especially. Do some research before you choose colors for your website.

The next most important thing to keep in mind when choosing colors is to keep the number of colors to a minimum. It is nice that your browser can render hundreds of colors; it is not necessarily pleasing to the eye to have five, ten or more colors on a page. A reduced color palette will have two to four colors.