What you see before you is either the deranged rantings of a lunatic, or the second generation of LG’s Optimus 3D, erm, 3D smartphone. Currently codenamed “CX2,” the handset’s packing a new NOVA autostereoscopic display for better brightness, an unnamed 1.2GHz dual-core TI CPU and an NFC module. What isn’t changing is the dual five-megapixel cameras, the 8GB storage or the display’s size or resolution. Our biggest gripe with the device was its heft, but if the rumors are true, it’s slimmed down from 12mm to 10mm: making it significantly more pocket-friendly. Our palms are sweating in anticipation as Mobile World Congress inches ever closer to revealing the truth.

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Let’s say you live in the UK and want the HTC EVO 3D – you can check out that cool deal with a two-year carrier contract we talked about 10 days ago. Or you may want an unlocked device, sans any commitments toward mobile operators? Good news – now you can get the glasses-free 3D screen-equipped smartphone from the online wing of ASDA, which is selling it for 249 GBP (about $388).

It’s a true bargain, considering the European version of the EVO 3D was announced only 6 months ago. Actually it’s amazing how quickly smartphone prices drop these days, something all of us love.

Aside from the mentioned 4.3-inch 3D display, HTC’s baby also comes with two 5-megapixel cameras on the back (for recording 3D video), front-facing camera (for video calls), HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth, an array of sensors and a microSD memory card slot.

So what do you say? Like the deal? If so proceed to this page where you’ll get all the details.

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Unlike getting hold of iOS apps, it’s always been possible to trawl the web for software that doesn’t appear in the Android Market. But that process is about to get even easier, because soon there will be an unofficial store for banned Android apps.

Koushik Dutta, a member of the team behind CyanogenMod and the creator of ClockworkMod, announced that he is in the process of creating an app store that will be home to apps that have been banned from Google’s official Android Market. That will include customs ROMs, retro gaming emulators pulled due to copyright complaints, unofficial tethering apps, Visual Voicemail apps, one-click rooting apps, and, well, whatever else Google says can’t feature in their store.

This will, I’m sure, be of most interest to those who have already rooted their Android handset, as it will provide a one-stop shop for the customs ROMs and apps those devices can make use of. There’s no denying that having all that stuff in one place will be more useful than having to trawl the web. Those who haven’t rooted their handset will still be able to make use of the store though, as there are plenty of normal apps that have to be banned from Google’s store, especially if they violate copyright or a mobile operator’s need to generate revenue from value-added services, like tethering.

I just wonder if it can completely avoid being shut down. One of the reasons that such a wide range of unofficial ROMs and apps continue to survive is that they’re so broadly distributed that it’s difficult to hunt them all down. Put them all in one place and that’s no longer the case.

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It took awhile, but it’s finally here: the official Wikipedia app for Android is now available for download on the Android Market. Just in case you’re wondering why anybody would use the app instead of surfing the website on your phone’s browser, the app has the ability to save articles for offline reading, search for articles based on your location, the ability to switch languages on the fly, and an option to easily share what you’re reading.

The app is only in its first version, so for now you can expect a barebones Wikipedia experience, though more features should be available in the future. Head over to the Android Market to download it for free.

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Samsung is apparently bringing the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD to the UK, as the Galaxy S II HD, a version of its best-selling dual-core smartphone packing a 720p HD capable Super AMOLED HD display. Although not yet officially confirmed by Samsung itself, the non-LTE smartphone briefly cropped up with UK retailer MobiCity where it was spotted by MoDaCo, though no UK pricing, release date or product page are currently available.

However, based on the US and South Korean variants, along with a product page from the retailer’s Australian division, we have a good idea what the Samsung Galaxy S II HD will offer. In short, it’s just the Galaxy S II we were hoping for: gone is the WVGA display, which although color-rich and with broad viewing angles, was looking short on pixels in comparison to qHD and 720p rivals, replaced by a 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 panel that we’re guessing is the same as on the Galaxy Nexus.

There’s also a 1,850 mAh battery to keep that display – and the 1.5GHz dual-core Scorpion processor with 1GB of RAM – running all day, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Samsung’s own TouchWiz tweaks.

In Australia, the Galaxy S II HD will be priced at AU$749 ($780/£508) and is apparently in-stock now. However it’s possible that this is a grey-import of the Korean LTE model; the retailer is using images of that variant on its product page, and the E120s product code is the same as Samsung uses in Korea.

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Users of the ASUS Transformer Prime may already be enjoying their hot-off-the-press upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich, but when will its predecessor be so lucky? We’ve heard that it would be inbound sometime in February, but there’s still a slight possibility that it’ll get here even sooner. On its North American Facebook page, ASUS responded to a curious user, mentioning that it’s in the process of getting Google’s official stamp of approval. Once this is complete, ASUS will click the big red button and commence pushing Android 4.0 out to the tablet. So hang tight, folks, the wait’s almost over.

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If you thought Google TV was nifty, how about having full-blown Android running on your living room telly? In 3D? Well, that’s just what a Russian company called IconBit is aiming to deliver.

IconBit launched four set-top boxes at CES last week, each of which runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with the potential to upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the future) and outputs everything to your TV via HDMI. Not only that, but all can be controlled with a Wii-style gesture remote – the idea being that you can have a “tablet-style experience” on a big screen.

The entry-level IconBit box is called the Toucan Nano and features a 1GHz processor, 256MB of memory, Chrome and Dolphin web browsers (with Flash support), Dolby Digital audio and connectivity via Ethernet, USB 2.0, HDMI and SD slot. It’ll cost $99 (£65) or $159 (£104) with the gesture remote. The Toucan W is much the same but with Wi-Fi (no price given as yet).

The third box, the XDS7 3D, features HDMI 1.4, lossless Dolby and DTS sound, USB 3.0, Android and Linux OS, a faster processor and, yes, the ability to play 3D movies. The fourth, the XDS100 3D, is similarly specced but looks a tad more stylish and comes with 3TB of hard disk storage built in. There are no prices or UK release dates given for these boxes, but we’ll keep an eye out for more news.

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If you want the sexy Asus Transformer Prime, you’re not alone. As a matter of fact, not all folks who pre-ordered the Android-powered tablet turned netbook will get their units on time in the UK.

According to a local branch of the Taiwanese company, high demand for the Transformer Prime has caused shortages. Here’s their official statement:

ASUS have been working all day with our retailers to try and fulfill back orders. Unfortunately due to high demand this has not been possible. However we are shipping more stock over the coming weeks. Please contact your retailer for dates. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Not exactly a good start for the Transformer Prime sales in the UK but I’m sure all users will forgive the computer maker the second they receive their unit and start playing with it. After all, it is the best 10.1-inch Android tablet out there…

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Archos had good news to share at this year’s CES. All of their G9 tablets will get the Ice Cream Sandwich update by the first week of February. As a matter of fact, they’ve demonstrated a G9 unit running ICS 4.0.1 at the big event in Vegas, but the firmware that will be released to the customers will be 4.0.3.

In other words, all of you who bought one of Archos products won’t have to wait for too long to get your Android 4.0 fix.

Nice move Archos. We’re hoping other tablet makers will be just as fast and that soon enough the majority of devices will run the latest version of Android. We’ll see…

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Well sort of…

After waiting months for the Galaxy Tab 7.7 to arrive in the UK, I finally gave up and have resorted to importing one from Hong Kong, and let me tell you, this is one sexy mutha tablet!

I’ve been watching the product page at Expansys since before Christmas and they stated it would be in stock on the 13th January 2012 (which happens to be the day I received mine), however their page has been updated today to say it should be in stock in around 5 days. This I believe is a load of rubbish as it’s looking like it’s going to be a February release for the UK.

Anyway, I’m going to put some pictures up and maybe video and if you have any question about the tablet, feel free to ask on here, Facebook or Twitter.