LG Optimus Vu does a photo shoot alongside its biggest competitor

In case LG Optimus Vu's teaser from a couple of days ago got you curious how a 4:3 aspect display might look like, we have some good news for you. A photo of the device has emerged, where you can see LG's upcoming phone/tablet pose next to its biggest competitor (or inspiration?) - the Samsung Galaxy Note.

As you can see from the photo above, the screen of the newcomer is wider than the unit of the Galaxy Note, despite its smaller diagonal - all thanks to its 4:3 aspect ratio.

Nokia Lumia 710 vs. Samsung I8350 Omnia W: Battle of the affordable Windows Phones

This sure looks like a non-starter. Comparing Windows Phone handsets is about as constructive as deciding which is right and which is left in a pair of socks. HTC and, to a lesser extent, Samsung have been making sure though there's no shortage of phones to choose from. And now with Nokia pulling their socks up to stay in the smartphone game, the choice is even greater.

Today our focus is on the Samsung I8350 Omnia W and the Nokia Lumia 710. For a change, they step out of the shadow of their bigger, more capable siblings. In fact, the entire Windows Phone range finds itself struggling to catch up with the general trend towards higher screen resolution and multiple-core processing. The first WP7generation was thrown in the deep end while the fresh Mango-running crowd has a seemingly easier task of staying afloat in the midrange.

Phones like the Omnia W and Lumia 710 are likely to be considered even by first-time smartphone users and that's one of the reasons why we think this comparison may be helpful. The two handsets are almost on par pricewise and the same goes for most of the specs too. We have a 3.7" display each and it's tie in imaging too: 5 MP still cameras with 720p video. Both have the same processors and run the most recent version of Windows Phone 7.5 - Mango.

But here's where it gets interesting.

Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500 low-end droid leaks

The Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 has been out for an year now and it looks like it's getting a successor - a tipster sent us a promo image of the Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500, codenamed Jena.

The image includes some specs that show a low-end device, sitting between two highly popular droids - the Galaxy Y and the Galaxy Ace.

Some specs have improved since the original - the Samsung Galaxy mini 2 now sports a bigger 3.3" screen with higher resolution (HVGA), a faster processor (800MHz) and 3GB of built-in storage.

The mini 2 S6500 will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and keeps the 3MP camera and 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity from the original. Design-wise, the S6500 has the rounded corners of the first mini, but looks closer to a baby Galaxy S with that home button hump at the lower back.

The promo image labels the Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500 for "February 2012", which means it might debut at the MWC.

Unknown HTC LTE droid heading to Verizon, runs on ICS

Pictures of a mysterious HTC droid have popped up today. It looks much like the Incredible 2, runs on the latest Android version - the Ice Cream sandwich and features LTE connectivity. Judging by the boot logo it should be a Verizon-bound smartphone.

The mysterious HTC smartphone

The specs are up to date - there is a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, an 8 megapixel rear camera and a VGA front one. According to the source, the screen should be an AMOLED one instead of the HTC's traditional S-LCD.

As we said, the device is LTE-capable, it runs on Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich and features the latest HTC Sense UI 4.0. Since it shares similar looks with the DROID Incredible 2, it might turn out to be its successor - the Incredible 3.

Pink Samsung Galaxy Note on the way, will miss Valentine's day

We have always thought of the Samsung Galaxy Note as a male-oriented device, but it turns out we have underestimated it. The phoneblet obviously generates enough interest with the ladies to warrant its own feminine version, colored in Berry Pink.

We got a tip from an industry insider, containing a photo of the upcoming pink version of the Samsung Galaxy Note. Both the front and the back of the device will obviously be repainted, but we aren't sure if the S Pen (which is white in the white version) will get a similar treatment.

Unfortunately, the pink Samsung Galaxy Note won't make it in time for Valentine's day. The first samples of the device will arrive in the 8th week of the year, while public availability is scheduled for Week 9. That's exactly three weeks away now, so the wait won't be long.

Motorola Droid 4 hits the shelves at Verizon Wireless

In case you are a hardware QWERTY keyboard junkie, and happen to live in the United States, we have some good news for you. Motorola's latest Droid 4 smartphone, featuring a slide-out hardware keyboard is now available for Verizon Wireless.

The RAZR styled handset packs an the edge-lit, laser-cut QWERTY keyboard, which sound like a perfect addition to its spec sheet. The latter includes a dual-core CPU, LTE radio, 8MP snapper, 4" qHD screen, and Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. You can find the device's full specs, along with our early hands-on impressions here.

The Motorola Droid 4 will cost you $199.99 with a two year commitment. In case you don't like contracts, prepare to spend $549.99.

And by the way, Amazon Wireless is already offering the device with a hefty discount. The Droid 4 is priced there at the highly acceptable $99.99 with a contract - a seriously sweet deal for the best Android QWERTY available at the moment.