Both MetroPCS and Boost Mobile have announced new, budget Android phones this week; the ZTE Warp Sequent and the ZTE Anthem 4G respectively.

ZTE has been busy over the past few days, with two of its phones debuting on two different US networks, and both offering cheap Android smartphone thrills.

The first is the ZTE Warp Sequent, which is available now for Boost Mobile, and as its unusual name suggests — seriously, ZTE, what’s wrong with slapping a “2” on there like you usually do — it’s a new version of the old ZTE Warp.

So what’s changed? The screen remains at 4.3-inches, however it now has a 960 x 540 pixel resolution, plus the processor has been upgraded to a 1.4Ghz, single-core Snapdragon S2. The RAM has been boosted to 768MB, and there’s 4GB of internal storage, plus a microSD card slot to add another 32GB too.

A 5-megapixel camera sits on the back and a 1.3-megapixel video-call lens on the front, while the operating system is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which appears here almost free of manufacturer and network abuse.

Phone fans may recognize this specification as being similar to the Grand X and Grand X IN, and there has been talk that the Warp Sequent could use an Intel Atom processor; however Boost’s specs don’t mention anything other than the clock speed, and the Grand X IN’s Atom runs at 1.6Ghz and not 1.4Ghz, so it’s looking unlikely.

If you’re interested in the Warp Sequent, it’s out now and is priced at $199 without a contract, but you will need to buy one of Boost’s pre-paid plans.

ZTE Anthem: cheap 4G with a catch

On to the ZTE Anthem 4G, which is MetroPCS’ latest budget offering, and it’s particularly notable because the phone is ZTE’s first 4G LTE device to be released in the USA.

It has a 4.3-inch touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution, a 1.2Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.

The camera has 5-megapixels and can shoot 1080p video, plus there’s features such as an HDMI-out, a microSD card slot and GPS. It’s a weighty beast though, tipping the scales at 190 grams, and at 13.7mm, it’s not slim either.

What it is though, is fairly cheap at $219 SIM-free, but then it needs to be as it runs Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread. While Gingerbread is perfectly usable, it looks and feels dated when compared to Ice Cream Sandwich, let alone Jelly Bean.

If the outdated operating system hasn’t put you off, then the Anthem’s budget 4G thrills will be available in both MetroPCS stores and online in the coming weeks.

Asus will launch the Padfone 2, the sequel to its quirky smartphone/tablet/laptop hybrid, at an event on October 16.

Asus is going to launch a sequel to its quirky Padfone, named, as if you couldn’t guess, the Padfone 2. The company has begun to circulate invitations to the event where it intends to show off the new device, which will take place on October 16.

The original Padfone had a long and drawn out gestation, as it initially appeared at the Computex show in May 2011 with a Christmas release date attached. This wasn’t really the case, and that first Padfone was more of a concept that a real product — a fact backed up by Asus’ redesign of the Padfone for Mobile World Congress 2012.

Eventually, after more delays, the Padfone went on sale in the USA in June 2012, having popped up in several other countries already. The price bordered on the ridiculous, with the complete package of the phone, tablet and keyboard dock likely to set owners back more than $1000.

Here’s a reminder of the specification: The phone has a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and a 1.5Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor, while the tablet has a 10.1-inch display, and needs the phone to be docked before it does anything. Many will also remember Asus’ solution to the problem of how to answer incoming phone calls when the pair are docked — a stylus that transformed into a Bluetooth earpiece!

Say what you like about the Padfone, it was brimming with innovation, and perhaps didn’t get the recognition or success it deserved.

Half the price, half the quirk?

So, here comes the sequel. The invitation makes it very clear it’s the Padfone 2 that will be announced, and that there will be two — presumably simultaneous — launch events, one in Milan, Italy and the other in Taipei, Taiwan.

Asus gives nothing away about the new Padfone 2, but we can see the bottom corner of the phone section, which reveals nothing more than a pair of virtual buttons and the Android operating system. Given how quirky the first Padfone was — for a piece of consumer electronics, anyway — will Asus have calmed down with the follow-up, in an effort to make it more popular?

A set of benchmark figures claimed to be from the Padfone 2 hint at the new device using a quad-core Snapdragon processor, and boasting 2GB of RAM, plus — sadly — Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The leak is accompanied by speculation that the new Padfone 2 won’t arrive until 2013, which sounds plausible now we have the date of the launch event.

Will the Padfone 2 achieve success for Asus? Well, the public could be more receptive this time, thanks to Asus’ and other manufacturers efforts with tablet/laptop hybrids; but more than anything, it’s the price that needs to be right, otherwise it runs the risk of being regarded as another expensive novelty.

Apple stores in Asia began selling the iPhone 5 to excited customers Friday morning. In the US, those lined up outside stores need to wait just a few more hours before they can get their hands on the refreshed device.

For Apple fans in the US eager to get their hands on the latest iPhone, the wait is almost over. Those camping outside one of the company’s many stores need just one more night on the street before their wish is fulfilled. In Asia, meanwhile, customers are already holding, stroking – and probably in some cases caressing – their new device.

At the front of the global line on Friday morning was Australia, with Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong not far behind.

AP footage taken outside an Apple store in Tokyo’s swanky Ginza shopping district showed a line of fans waiting patiently in rainy weather. The video then shows someone we assume to be the store manager conducting a sing-song with members of staff. “Are you ready?” he shouted enthusiastically. “Yes, we’re ready,” came the choral reply, which was just as well, because it was opening time.

Customers then poured into the store, with a man who looked to be in his 20s among the first to emerge, proudly holding up his new handset for the gathered press.

Consumers in the UK, France and Germany will be the next to receive the new handset, while those in North America need another night on the street before they get theirs (unless they’re having it delivered, of course).

DT’s Natt Garun has been meeting some of the folks waiting in line outside Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York.

One guy, the appropriately named John Mcintosh, has been waiting since Sunday. “There’s a lot of cool people on line, that’s really the best part.” Mcintosh told DT. At the time of writing, presumably Mcintosh is in the midst of a dewy-eyed dream featuring him unboxing his new phone in slow-motion, perhaps planting a tender kiss on its screen before fondling its buttons in a manner suggesting forking out for the new handset was money well spent.

The new iPhone went on sale last week, with the Cupertino company taking two million pre-orders for the device in the first 24 hours, breaking the previous record set by the iPhone 4S.

Users upgrading to the iPhone 5 from an earlier model get a lighter, thinner device with a bigger screen, better camera, faster processor, and 4G LTE compatibility.