Tag: smartphones

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Android 4.3 FINALLY rolling out to AT&T HTC One’s

WP_20130503_003Better late than never? It would seem HTC wasn’t able to move through the verification process to meet their September deadline on updating all of their One phones to Google’s current version of Android Jellybean, but those of you on AT&T will finally start seeing update notifications soon!

Among the various improvements, users will see improved camera performance (hopefully a fix for some of the low light problems some users face) and new focus options for video. We’ll also see improved quick access to controls in the notification tray, so no more going to your settings menu to turn WiFi on and off.

The update should roll out auto-magically, but if you’re really impatient, you can start spamming the software update setting throughout the day. Maybe it’ll work for you?

Now HTC… When can we start talking about KitKat updates?

I kid… I kid… But no really when? [Said while doing ‘grabby hands’]

(via AT&T Blog)

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Samsung Galaxy Round – First smartphone with a curved display

Pulling up the press release and seeing the picture I was a bit surprised. Previous experiments with curving screens on phones like the Galaxy Nexus usually involved curving the display from top to bottom, contouring the phone for the side of your head. The Galaxy Round takes a different approach…

The Round’s 5.7″ screen is curved from side to side, and Samsung claims this side to side curving makes the phone easier to hold and use. It could also mean that this phone will feel narrower than traditional phablets.

I think it’s an interesting experiment in design, and I’ll be curious to see how consumers respond. One nice advantage, the phone’s screen is harder to scratch if the phone is ever placed face down on a table. That curve provides a little clearance.

Samsung Tomorrow spent a little time with the handset and shot this video of one of the new gestures:

Hardware on board seems to be current high-end, similar to what you might find in the Note 3. It’ll launch tomorrow in South Korea for a little more than $1000, but there’s no official word on pricing and availability elsewhere.

(via Samsung Tomorrow)

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Verizon employee leaks image of HTC One Max

android central htc one maxA friend of a Verizon employee posted this pic of the up coming HTC One Max in the Android Central forums. According to Jeremy, his mysterious pal has confirmed the One Max will have a finger print scanner and a removable back plate. Looks to be some decent competition for the Galaxy Note 3, especially with BoomSound in tow.

What I’m really happy to see, is this doesn’t appear to be a Droid. The last larger screened phone HTC released was a carrier exclusive to VZW in the USA, dubbed the Droid DNA. This image shows us a phone which very much follows the design language of the One and One Mini, meaning HTC is moving towards the same kind of device branding that Samsung and Apple have already figured out. Consumers will no longer be confused by seeing One’s on one carrier and Evos/Droids on another.

Of course, Verizon did still have to slap their weird checkmark logo right on the face of this otherwise beautiful phone. Right where the HTC logo would’ve been too. Kind of a slap in the face. Here’s to change?

(via Android Central)

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AT&T drops price of Lumia 920 to 99 cents on two year contract

nokia lumia 920 on sale 99 cents att somegadgetguyOk. Here’s the scoop. The Nokia Lumia 925 might be newer, slimmer, and sexier. The 925 also has more current software as we’re still waiting out AT&T to offer an update for the 920. Even with all those points against it, I still happen to prefer the chunkier 920 over the svelte 925. The rounded the contours, I like a little meat on her bones you know? Plus that girth comes with twice the on board storage of the 925 and the ability to charge wirelessly without an additional sled accessory. It’s all built in.

With the release of the Lumia 1020 and the 1520 right around the corner, the 9xx series phones are now certainly mid-range devices, but pricing is starting to fall into entry-level territory. Picking up a Lumia 920 on a two year contract will now only cost you 99 cents up front. That’s not bad at all for my second favorite camera ever built into a smartphone.  If you’re shopping an entry level phone, the experience on Windows Phone often crushes similarly priced Android fare, and the cameras on Nokia phones are always second to none.

(via AT&T)

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Contests! Kingston Memory Winners and Samsung vs Apple Rugged Case Show Down!

kingston technology giveaway contest usb flash ssd solidstatedrive 240gb hyperx somegadgetguySo first of all we have to announce the winners of the Kingston Fall Memory giveaway. Many thanks to Kingston Technology for an incredible prize pack which included Memory Cards, USB2 and USB3 flash drives, MobileLite Wireless Drives, and a 240GB HyperX SSD!

Also in this vid, we’re going to play a little game for our next giveaway, pitting Samsung owners against Apple owners. Enjoy!

New contest details after the jump!

Continue reading “Contests! Kingston Memory Winners and Samsung vs Apple Rugged Case Show Down!”

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Best Buy offers $50 gift card for people who buy iPhone 5C on two year contract

best buy iphone 5c sale giftcardWell. We don’t see sales on Apple gear very often.

Best Buy is offering up a special on the iPhone 5C. When purchasing the phone BB will supply a $50 gift card which can be used at time of purchase. If purchased on a two year contract, this will effectively cut the price of the phone in half.

It’s difficult to tell if this tells us anything about lagging 5C sales, or if BB and Apple are working together on moving units. As with previous iPhone releases, it’s not surprising that demand is strongest for the newest handsets, and even though the 5C is “new”, most Apple savvy folks will know it’s pretty much just a repackaged iPhone 5. Apple can be somewhat secretive about individual device sales though, so it’s difficult to know if the 5C is selling any worse than the 4S did when the iPhone 5 was released.

If you were looking for a sale on a mid-range iPhone though, this is one of the best deals around.

iPhone 5C on BestBuy.com

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The Wrap Up: Four Months with the LG Optimus G Pro on AT&T (Long Term Review)

lg optimus g pro att long term review smartphone phablet somegadgetguyLet’s talk experience.

This is the first LG I’ve spent any real time with, and it comes at a time where I’m running a little cold on super large phones. Does the Optimus G Pro have the guts to shake me out of my phablet funk?

Watch on my friends…

1st Impressions – LG Optimus G Pro
Camera Test
Speaker Test
Benchmarks
Battery Idle Test

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Vertu announces Constellation smartphone with 4.3″ Sapphire screen

vertu constellation sapphire screen luxury android phoneVertu makes some ridiculous “luxury” smartphones. In years past, you would pay crazy amounts of money to own gadgets made out of exotic materials, but often with lagging tech. Their newest handset ‘Constellation’ marks the first time their penchant for high end materials has also moved the tech industry forward a bit however.

While never the point of a Vertu, the specs feel “nice” but a bit dated. Constellation is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon and comes with 32GB of storage. The 4.3″ screen has a 720p resolution, but the actual excitement comes from what that screen is made out of. A 5.1″ slab of Sapphire protects the front face of the phone. Not some BS “Saffire” branding, nope the actual gem, and sapphire is almost as hard as diamond. This screen should be virtually scratch proof (unless you rub a diamond against it), and should prove a bit more durable for bumps and drops.

Color me impressed. I usually mock Vertu handsets, but this is one “fancy” material I hope will eventually filter down into the phones we plebs use…

Constellation should be available in stores later this month at a price of €4,900 (about $6600).

Full PR after the break.

Continue reading “Vertu announces Constellation smartphone with 4.3″ Sapphire screen”

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