Sony Mobile announced the availability of two new Xperia-branded handsets in Sydney today, partnering with Telstra for the launch of the Xperia P, and with Crazy John’s for the youth-focused Xperia U. The Xperia P (left) and Xperia U (right) (Credit: Sony) Telstra will range the Xperia P on plans starting from AU$49 per month …

Windows Phone 8, the successor to its Windows Phone 7.5 Mango mobile operating system, will ship on handsets starting this fall, according to Microsoft. Windows Phone 8, code-named Apollo, will feature support for multicore processors, NFC with a mobile payments wallet, and support for three screen resolutions and microSD card slots. Furthermore, the next Windows Phone OS will share a …

Now playing: Watch this: Phone News: Microsoft Surface unveiled 3:34 Here at Phone News we’re all about being inclusive — so when Microsoft announced it was planning on getting into the tablet-making business we sat up and took note. Sure, tablets aren’t phones but they’re more than gadgety enough to get our juices flowing. If you missed this week’s massive …

A few weeks back, I wrote about how Mophie was coming out with the Juice Pack Pro, a rugged version of its extended-battery case for the iPhone 4/4S. Now iBattz has unveiled the Mojo Armor, its spin on a ultraprotective extended-battery case. Compared with theJuice Pack Pro’s integrated 2,500 mAh battery (that more than doubles the battery life of your …

Chinese handset maker ZTE plans to build LTE devices with a standard used in China and elsewhere around the world, according to Reuters. ZTE CEO Shi Lirong during his keynote address at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Roger Cheng/CNET The news service reported today that Japan’s Softbank may be among its first customers. ZTE is supposedly talking to Softbank …

Microsoft has unveiled Windows Phone 8, the next generation of its mobile phone software. Windows Phone 8 shares its core code with Windows 8, and will appear this autumn in dual-core phones with high-definition screens and memory cards. That means Windows Phone software and Windows 8 software on computers and tablets will share common DNA, including the kernel, networking, multimedia …

Microsoft gave a fairly good imitation of Apple in debuting its Surface tablets. The event, held at an artsy Los Angeles studio space, was shrouded in mystery, and Microsoft executives were properly dressed down for the occasion.  The famously leaky company was mostly able to surprise the assembled press with the multicolored array of Surface tablets and ultrabooks. But Microsoft disregarded …

Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8 devices will hit stores this fall. And support from carriers like Verizon Wireless will be crucial if the company stands a chance of competing with smartphone giants, Apple and Google. The Windows Phone start screen will soon come with three tile sizes. Screenshot by Microsoft Microsoft today took the wraps off Windows Phone 8, the …

Microsoft has unveiled its new Windows tablets, the Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro — but they’re not the first Microsoft Surface. Remember the touchscreen table? It’s now been renamed the PixelSense. The gadget formerly known as the Surface is a giant flat touchscreen the size of a coffee table that you use to find information wherever it’s placed in places …

Microsoft has just made its next-generation mobile operating system official, and Windows Phone 8 promises to get people talking with its hardware implications, mobile payments, and tighter relations to the Windows platform. Related stories Windows Phone 8 OS opens up to multicore processors, NFC Windows Phone 8 shipping on new phones this fall No upgrade for current Windows Phone devices …