Lenovo will be the first manufacturer to ship a smartphone with Intel's Medfield processor, a surprise considering the firm's lack of experience in the handheld market.

The K800 is a large high-end device that sports an angular frame, much like Lenovo's ThinkPad range. One of the best features is the 4.5in display with a resolution of 1280x720. We found the video playback was very vibrant and the screen was a good size.

With a thickness of 10mm, the device appears quite chunky compared to other handsets on the market such as the Samsung Galaxy S II and the forthcoming Huawei Ascend PS 1.

The K800 was running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a unique overlay. On first glance it didn't even look like the device was running Android. However, we found this to be quite user friendly. Lenovo expects to upgrade the device to Ice Cream Sandwich.

On the home screen there are shortcuts that allow you to access calls, messages, IMs and mails. In the middle is an icon to view contacts. It's not too fancy, and there are options to customise this so we like it. However, questions will remain over how the overlay will impact battery performance. From experience we have seen overlays such as HTC Sense drain a lot of juice.

Performance of the device was very snappy with the Intel Atom Medfield chip running at 1.6GHz and providing more than enough grunt to power applications.
Lenovo provides 16GB of internal memory, but it looks like there wil not be any micro SD support.

It remains to be seen whether the K800 will make it to western markets. We can't help but feel that Intel's reference smartphone is more likely to make an appearance in the UK than this device.

LAS VEGAS: Intel's prototype smartphone is not as eye-catching as some of the other devices on display at CES, but is a positive step for the chip manufacturer as it has yet to find its feet in the mobile market.

The Intel design looked like a cross between an iPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy S II. Weighing in at around the 130g mark, the device felt lighter and had a block design. Although it was far from ugly, it didn't look as sleek as the Huawei Ascend PS 1, unveiled earlier at the show.

The Intel prototype device boasted a 4.03in display a 1024x600 resolution, but the key factor was that the Android handset was running on a 32nm X86-based chip in the form of the Intel Atom Z2460 Medfield processor 1.6GHz single core processor.

Performance of the handset was smooth thanks to the Intel's graphics media accelerator for video and all Android apps ran on the device. It will be interesting to see just how fast real world performance is compared to dual-core devices.

We had a quick play with Modern Combat 2 and the device rendered detailed backgrounds with minimal lag.

On the back was an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p capabilities, and a 1.3-megapixel snapper was located on the front for video calling. The device also included micro-USB and HDMI connections. Additional features included a dedicated camera button, volume rockers and most interestingly, a micro-SIM slot.

Intel is not expected to bring this to market on its own - the design is just a "reference point" for manufacturers. A manufacturer partnership announcement is expected to be made by Paul Otellini during his keynote, which starts at 4:30(PST)/12:30am(GMT).

LAS VEGAS: Huawei has shown that it will be aggressively pushing into the high-end smartphone market with the launch of its Ascend range.

The PS 1 is set to be the firm's flagship smartphone in 2012, and initial impressions were very positive considering that Huawei has traditionally been known for making budget handsets.

Huawei is playing up the fact that the PS 1 is the thinnest smartphone to date, and with a thickness of 6.68mm it looks sleek and is comfortable to hold.

In an effort to be taken seriously as a high-end handset provider Huawei has used a number of premium components. Construction appears solid - with a metallic frame running around the edge of the device. The chassis also packs in a 4.3in Super Amoled Gorilla Glass display that delivers a sharp, clear picture and will no doubt force Samsung to up its game.

The firm has chosen to go with a 1.5GHz dual-core Texas Instruments processor rather than an Nvidia-based chip, but the processor inside the PS 1 is based on the familiar ARM Cortex A9 design. With 1GB of RAM also included, we found the device delivered an extremely smooth experience. The handset also benefits from having a stock version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and so there is no overlay to drain battery and slow the device down.

We liked the addition of the HDMI ports and the 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p recording and facial recognition capabilities.

Another area that Huawei is confident it will be able to differentiate in its device is the battery performance. The 1670 mAh battery is touted to give 30 per cent better performance than other high-end devices and it will be interesting to see just how long the handset lasts when compared to other handsets with similar specifications.

The only real disappointing features appear to be the 4GB of built in storage and the lack of pricing details. The latter could be a sticking point especially as Huawei is largely unknown to UK consumers and has no pedigree in the high-end market. However, if the firm is looking to make an impact in western markets we expect it to launch devices with a competitive price when it starts shipping in April.

V3 got some hands-on time with the Huawei Vision smartphone, which was launched last night as the firm tries to grow its brand and presence in the market.

To start with the phone will be available from Phones 4U on a £25 per month contract which includes the handset for free. Huawei said that the Vision will be available in time for Christmas.

The phone has quite a sleek design with a unibody aluminium shell in keeping with rivals such as HTC. Three colours will be available: silver, rose gold or charcoal.

In design, the Vision is reminiscent of the Nexus S smartphone from Google with a similar shape and a curved screen, although the curve is not as noticeable.

We found the Vision comfortable to hold with its rounded shape. It's a nice size and weight coming in at 9.9mm and 121g.

For what will be a budget phone, the specs are quite reasonable. You get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 2GB of internal storage. The storage can be expanded via the microSD card slot. We found performance to be good, and a respectable effort for a non-high-end phone.

It almost goes without saying that the Vision will come with connectivity such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G, but there is no near field communication technology.

The Vision runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread like a lot of smartphones, but Huawei has added its own touch. The home panels can be viewed in a 3D carousel which can be controlled by normal swipe gestures or a scrolling bar.

We like the different approach and the carousel looks good and works well. If you leave the screen on one home panel you get animations of the widgets on that panel. Another addition is the ability to change the widgets on the fly and group apps in folders.

Pre-loaded apps will include Angry Birds, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Order & Chaos and
Guerilla Bob HD.

The screen is a decent 3.7in which is a good middle-of-the-road size. We found the screen nice and bright with good clarity. The one problem we did find was a lack of responsiveness, where a button push sometimes took a couple of attempts.

It was far too dark at the event to test the camera properly so we'll leave that for the full review. The specs are reasonable for a budget phone with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera that is capable of recording video in 720p resolution.

Another thing we didn't have time to test was the battery. It's rated at 1,400mAh, which is a little lower than we normally find in smartphones but we'll reserve judgement until we test it properly.

Overall the phone could be successful if marketed correctly, and could be one of the best budget-friendly phones around. We look forward to getting the Vision in for a full test and review.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first handset to run the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, which will see it take over from the Nexus S as the king of the Android handsets.

Our first experience with the revamped Ice Cream Sandwich platform was positive, and Google has made several significant changes to the system by incorporating the best of Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

There are no longer any capacitive buttons positioned beneath the screen. Instead there are three context sensitive buttons located on screen: 'back', 'home' and 'recent apps'.

This means the 'settings' button shortcut has now been hidden away in the notification bar (as shown below, next to the date on the screen) so it is now a swipe and a click away. It's not a big deal, but for long-term users of Gingerbread it could take a while to get used to.

Another change has been made to the main apps menu. Instead of icons now being shown on one page, they are split over multiple pages, and quick swipes allow navigation between pages. This is a useful upgrade, especially if you download lots of apps.

Setting up folders is now far easier as well, as it only requires dragging apps on top of each other to start making a folder. Resizing the widgets is also a nice touch and gives more control over how content is displayed on home screen.

We also had a play with the Data Usage app, which is no doubt going to come in handy for heavy data users.

Samsung has chosen to stick with the curved design debuted with the Nexus S, which is no bad thing as it's a nice look. It's also comfortable to hold, despite weighing 135g, which makes it a tad heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S II and Nexus S.

One of the main reasons for the additional weight is that the screen size has been bumped up. The Galaxy Nexus comes with a 4.65in screen that boasts an impressive 1,280x720 resolution. Combined with Android's revamped 'Roboto' typeface, this makes text much easier to read.

We tested the device in a low-light setting and found brightness to be very good. From our brief overview, we think this could the one of best displays we've seen on a mobile device.

Another area that has been beefed up is the processor. Samsung seemingly turns up the processing power at will, and the latest Nexus comes with a meaty 1.2GHz dual-core processor.

We certainly noticed the speed when browsing the web and opening apps, but we still experienced a slight lag when changing orientation of the device.

One of the key new features we were keen to test was the NFC-enabled Android Beam app and, after a couple of false starts, we eventually got it to work. The feature requires two NFC-capable Android smartphones to be touched together, and the user transmitting data is required to tap the screen to confirm the transfer. The movement of content was pretty much instantaneous, which was impressive.

Samsung has confirmed that it will launch the Galaxy Nexus on 17 November, the week Nokia is expected to make its Windows Phone Lumia 800 handset available.

With the Galaxy Nexus boasting superior hardware and a revamped software platform, not to mention Android being a far more popular platform than Microsoft's offering, Samsung looks to have the edge on the Lumia.

Nokia launched two high-end devices at its annual Nokia World event in London on Wednesday and we got a chance to spend some hands with the Lumia 800 Windows Phone handset.

The flagship Lumia 800 is set to take the challenge to the Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S II and it bears a striking resemblance to the Nokia N9, which was released in selected European countries and uses the MeeGo platform.

The Lumia 800 exudes high quality craftsmanship, with a one-piece injection moulded body that Nokia touted as scratch proof. The device is also comfortable to hold, but isn't the lightest on the market as it weighs 142g.

Nokia has integrated an 3.7in Amoled screen with a resolution of 480x800 and colours are crisp with blacks particularly deep when compared to other devices. Brightness also seemed very good as we were using the device in a low light environment.

The 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM are not the highest specifications around, but the device has been optimised to get the full benefit from the software, much like Apple has with the iOS. This makes the Lumia 800 extremely responsive, and there is no noticeable lag.

The Windows platform will also help the firm attract business users to the device, as it comes with Exchange support and Mobile Microsoft Office suite.

Some key features that set the Nokia apart from competing Windows Phone devices is the eight megapixel camera with an optimised flash for low-light conditions. The Nokia N8 had an excellent camera and the firm has clearly carried this through to the Lumia 800.

With Microsoft having already laid down specifications for the Windows Phone Mango platform before Nokia signed its deal with Microsoft, the Finnish firm has been unable to make its hardware substantially difference to other devices from HTC and Samsung.

However, Nokia has managed to sneak in a few of its own apps, the highlight of which is Nokia Drive, a free voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation system, a first for Windows Phone devices.

With a price of €420, the Lumia 800 isn't cheap, but with the services on offer and good performance it could be winner. Nokia is still behind when it comes to core specifications but as Apple has proved, raw processing power isn't everything.

Nokia is set to embark on its biggest marketing campaign with the Lumia series, so expect to see adverts for the device plastered everywhere in the next few weeks ahead of its November launch.

V3 will have a full review of the device in due course and we also have a video demo of the phone in action:

Micro SD cards have become the de facto way to boost the memory in mobile devices such as e-readers, smartphones and tablets. But, while highly portable, the cards are susceptible to damage as the connectors are exposed.

Step forward Samsung, which has developed what it claims is a near-indestructible memory card. The MB-MS8GA is resistant to shock, water and magnets - more than traditional devices, and comes with a five-year warranty.

V3 tested the 8GB Class 6 card, which comes with an SD adapter allowing it to fit into most all-in-one card readers. We found the card reasonably quick, a 1GB transfer taking just over 45 seconds. After loading it to the brim, we set out to test the card to destruction.

Water test
Samsung claims that the card is waterproof, and will work even after 24 hours immersed in sea water. Protection is provided by Epoxy Moulding Compound technology, and we concocted our own brand of saline to see whether the claims are true. We left the card in the solution overnight and, after a quick rub down, popped it into our PC. The device appeared in My Computer as if nothing had happened and was good to go.

Spillages are all too common in the home and office, so we decided to drop the card into a cup of hot tea. Impressively, the card showed no ill effects even when the tea was mixed with milk. Those who do a lot of water sports, or who are accident prone, can be assured that their data will remain protected.

Verdict- Passed

Magnet test
Magnets are well known as being able to wipe data on digital devices, and Samsung has built in protection to stop this happening. The MB-MS8GA card can withstand a magnetic field of 10,000 gauss, according to the firm, and had no problems when coming into close contact with small magnets around the office.

This high level of protection means that the card is safe to use around large home theatre systems and even an MRI scanner.
Verdict - Passed

Shock testing
The MB-MS8GA is designed to withstand the weight of a 1.6-tonne truck, according to Samsung. Of course, dropping the device in front of such a vehicle and living to tell the tale is unlikely, so we tested the card in less dangerous ways.

The card survived a drop from shoulder height onto the concrete floor, a trip down a flight of stairs and being stepped on multiple times with a size 10 boot.

The only way we were able to inflict any damage was with a good old-fashioned hammer. Even then, the card managed to fend off a couple of blows before bits started to fly off. It finally succumbed after the third and fourth blows.

Considering that we used excessive force, and that the card is unlikely ever to be accidentally subjected to hammer blows, we think Samsung's claims are valid.
Verdict - Passed

Overall
The Samsung MB-MS8GA is not quite indestructible, but it's a good choice for the adventurous and accident prone. The card is rugged enough to survive rough treatment and spillages, and the water proofing and magnet proofing live up to the billing. The card would be the perfect little companion to the ruggedised Motorola Defy smartphone or a waterproof camera.

The only thing that Samsung has left out is a tracking device, so if you lose the card it's going to be as hard to find as any other micro SD card.

MemoryCardZoo offers an 8GB peripheral for £11.40, which is no more expensive than competing cards and is well worth the investment.

Nokia is due to launch another update for its ailing Symbian platform just days after releasing the Anna update for its high-end smartphones, including the N8.

The company has made a countdown clock available on its Facebook page, along with the cryptic message: "It's time to try something new."

Nokia is set to make the announcement in just over 45 hours, and the firm's Facebook followers appear to be convinced that the firm will launch Symbian Belle as it has been leaked onto YouTube.

The interface appears to have passing similarities with Nokia's forthcoming MeeGo operating system. It sports a drop down notifications bar as well as revamped keyboard and widgets.

Users can also expect enhanced customisation options, and there are suggestions that Nokia is gearing up to launch a new app store.

However, it would seem odd for Nokia to release two high-profile updates within a week, leading to speculation that a new handset could be unleashed.

"How can people say its Belle when Anna hasn't even been deployed fully around the world yet? I am guessing it might be a 3D Symbian phone announcement maybe," said Nokia customer Ben Liu on the Facebook page.

It remains to be seen whether this annoucement will help Symbian gain some momentum in the smartphone market. However, at least Nokia appears to be following through on its promise to support the platform until 2016, unlike HP which unceremoniously dumped its webOS platform after lacklustre smartphone and tablet sales.