Tag: smartphones

Posted on

AT&T offers up LG G2 or Moto X for free on two year agreement, for limited time

ATT-Moto-X-free-dealDid you not get the new phone you wanted last year? AT&T might have just the trick for you.

Running now through the end of the month, you can score the LG G2 or Moto X free on a two year contract. Not a bad buy for either as they normally fall into the “$99 on contract” tier. We’ve had the pleasure of playing with both here at SGG, and while they offer up very different experiences, they’re both terrific smartphone solutions.

Shop the LG G2 Here and the Moto X Here. Not a bad way to start the new year off right?

RELATED:

Our LG G2 Review
1st Impressions Moto X

 

Posted on

#CES2014: Sony Wows with Xperia Z1 Compact, “Uncompromising” smaller Android Smartphone

sony xperia z1 compact ces tease announcement android smartphoneI don’t often get excited about phone announcements, but Sony has me very interested.

The biggest problem in the Android ecosystem right now is the lack of premium smaller form factor devices. Smaller screens are seen as entry or mid-range phones. It completely gives the market away to the iPhone when “Premium” only means 4.7″ screens and larger.

Sony is looking to change that with the Z1 Compact. A 720p 4.3″ display is powered by the most bleeding edge guts we can currently pack into a phone.

sony xperia z1 compact ces tease announcement android smartphone camera

The Qualcomm 800 processor is a screamer on larger higher resolution phone screens, so it should be even more of a beast here. 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage with a MicroSD card slot will be handy as the camera bolted to the back is a 20MP shooter with optical image stabilization. Even the battery is class standard at 2300mAh, a capacity often found in larger screen phones.

Not only are the guts impressive, the design is attractive as well, with a solid machined aluminum shell. The Z1 Compact also continues in Sony’s recent tradition of making their phones water resistant, helpful insuring your smartphone might actually last the two year contract you signed up for.

Every bit of this phone is a step in the right direction for those wanting a premium high end smartphone in a smaller form factor. Sony released a video tease of the Z1 Compact embedded below.

Posted on

#ATTDevSummit: LG Flex coming to AT&T soon-ish…

LG_G_FLEX_04The experiment moves mainstream! The curved screened LG Flex will soon be showing up on AT&T LTE in North America.

Flex features a 6″ 720p AMOLED display which can bend completely flat without damage, and it has the near-magical the ability to heal from minor scrapes and scuffs. Just check this crazy video out.

 

 

The rest of the hardware is similar to the LG G2 including processor and camera performance. No pricing or availability as of yet, but full PR below. Continue reading “#ATTDevSummit: LG Flex coming to AT&T soon-ish…”

Posted on

#ATTDevSummit: AT&T Brings Asus Padfone X to USA

20140106_103127_3I’ve been waiting for this one for a while. Asus has experimented with phone and tablet modular systems for a couple years now. Turning Android tablets into laptops, and phones into tablets. Padfone X marks the first Asus modular solution officially supported by an LTE equipped North American carrier.

Padfone merges a 5” 1080p smartphone with a 9” tablet shell. Dock your phone into the tablet, and the services on your phone are instantly transported to a larger screen. A helpful benefit as you can now support a phone experience and a tablet experience over AT&T LTE with only one data plan.

While specific hardware details are slim, we know it will arrive with Android 4.4 KitKat, and it will be one of the first to support AT&T’s LTE Advanced network rollout and HD Voice.

More info at: http://ATT.com/padfonex

Asus-PadFone-2

Posted on

First Impressions Video: The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom on AT&T

Samsung is one of the most experimental companies on the planet when it comes to various gadget form factors and features. As a follow up to last year’s Galaxy Camera, they’re expanding the Galaxy S line-up with a crazy zoom lens phone. From an optics standpoint, it looks like it might be able to give the Lumia 1020 a run for its money…

The Zoom is an interesting set of features and compromises. Let’s take a look around!

Posted on

AT&T Offers $450 to T-Mobile Customers Looking to Switch

ATT logoThe carrier wars are already heating up for 2014. After failing to acquire T-Mobile, and being forced to dump cash into their coffers, looks like AT&T is getting a little tired of competing against their own money.

Taking a direct shot at Lil’ Magenta, AT&T announced today that T-Mo customers switching to AT&T, and trading in their old phones, would receive up to a $450 credit per line on their accounts. The credit is designed to ease the sting of paying a termination fee for those increasingly few on contract, or to offset the cost of a new phone or tablet.

This looks like an early warning shot from AT&T, as we’ve been hearing rumors of T-Mobile offering a similar “Switch to us” credit. Maybe AT&T got tired of T-Mo beating them to the punch on things like faster phone upgrades, and “zero down” phone subsidies.

It’s fun when companies get frisky. Full PR after the jump.

Continue reading “AT&T Offers $450 to T-Mobile Customers Looking to Switch”

Posted on

My Favorite Phone of the Year 2013 (And What’s Wrong With It)

Question_markI hate writing articles like this. I really do. I cherish all the people who read my reviews, watch my videos, and I have a healthy respect for what my small sphere of influence represents. My entire life I’ve been a problem solver, and I like heading off bad situations before they happen. My most valuable contribution to this system is how I share my experiences using various devices. As we wrap up the year now on News Years Eve, and say goodbye to 2013, I felt it important to discuss what one phone had the biggest impact on my daily gadget use.

I feel it necessary to deliver this disclaimer: There is no such thing as a one size fits all tech solution. Just because this was my favorite phone of the year, it doesn’t mean I’m endorsing it for everyone, and I find debates surrounding which phone is “best” quite tedious. I chose the title “favorite” for a reason.

Enough preface.

My favorite phone of the year is:

Continue reading “My Favorite Phone of the Year 2013 (And What’s Wrong With It)”

Posted on

Opera looking for Android Beta Testers for Opera Max Data Saving Service

Opera_Max-phone1Welcome Opera! You’ve been kinda quiet lately!

Opera was the browser of choice for us hip kids during the Windows Mobile days. Back then, data compression was helpful because we often had slow Edge and baby 3G networks to browse on. Opera would squish that data down, and pages would load and render faster on those old phones. Nowadays, we have access to much faster 3G and 4G networks, but many of us have plans which include data caps, so data compression serves a different (yet equally useful) purpose, especially if you do a lot of browsing on your phone or cell network enabled tablet.

Opera Max is in open BETA now, and Opera is looking for testers using Android 4.0 or newer phones and tablets. Utilizing a Virtual Private Network, where Opera squishes data down for you before sending it out to your device, they claim they can shave a considerable chunk of data usage off your monthly tally. Especially as this set up will work for any non-encrypted data you receive, it’ll also help reduce data usage for a variety of apps and services you might use on your device. That’s right, not just data through your browser, but all data streaming to your phone.

It’s a little similar to how Blackberries used to handle network connections, sending through RIM servers before delivering to the handset. One of the tools which made BB so formidable during the early days of smartphone use. I’ve been a big fan of improving network efficiency, and this could be one way in which we end users can help reduce the load on cell towers.

If you’d like to try out the BETA, the full details are on the Opera Max site!

Proudly powered by WordPress