SamsungStratosphere
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ITC rules that Samsung violates four Apple patents covering design, touch
The back and forth continues. US International Trade Commission Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender has made an initial ruling that some Samsung's devices violate four Apple patents, including one iPhone design patent (the one you see above) and three software patents. Apple didn't manage a clean sweep, as Samsung was cleared of treading on two more patents, but the verdict still carries the all-too-familiar potential for a trade ban if the ITC maintains the findings in its final review. It's bleak news for the Korean company, which faced an initial loss to Apple at the ITC just last month -- even though large swaths of the mostly Android-based Galaxy phones and tablets in the dispute have long since left the market, an upheld verdict gives Samsung one less bargaining chip in a protracted legal war.
Samsung Galaxy Stellar pops up in Verizon docs, might light up our skies soon
Having launched an all-out blitz on the high-end of US smartphones, Samsung must be eager to conquer the mid-range as well. A Verizon rebate list finding its way to Droid-Life has the previously unknown Galaxy Stellar showing up amongst the carrier's more budget-minded smartphones for a $50 discount sometime between now and an August 19th expiry date. There's little we can definitively attach to that starry-eyed name so far, although we have our hunches: first and foremost is that it's the Jasper, the Snapdragon S4-touting spiritual successor to the Droid Charge. It might alternately be the even more mysterious SCH-i415, which just showed up at the FCC this weekend and could be a world-roaming sequel to the Stratosphere (SCH-i405) with CDMA, LTE and GSM all rolled into one. Whether the Galaxy Stellar is one of these two devices or something entirely off of the map, there's a strong indication between this, Sprint's mystery SPH-L300 and the slightly more tangible Galaxy Reverb that Samsung will leave no CDMA corner unturned in the near future.
Samsung Stratosphere review
Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, Verizon was still in phase one of its LTE lineup, which consisted of nothing but 4.3-inch slate phones with questionable battery life and very little to stand out from the rest of the competition. Now that we're seeing the second generation of devices coming into the 4G fold, Big Red appears to be pushing choice -- not just in terms of size and feel, but price as well. The Pantech Breakout was the first to, well, break out of the mold, offering a smaller form factor for a much more reasonable cost. It was nothing to write home about, but the fact that it existed gave us hope that we'd see a slew of phones in the same price range, finally making high-speed connectivity a more affordable option. Shortly afterward, the Samsung Stratosphere sneaked up and snatched the spotlight away from Pantech, offering the very first QWERTY keyboard on an LTE-capable device for a cost similar to that of the Breakout. But when we first saw the phone, something felt eerily familiar: it looked almost exactly like the Epic 4G, a Galaxy S-era device that was released on Sprint's WiMAX lineup nearly a year and a half ago. Looks are one thing, but what about the internals? Does the brand new Stratosphere perform like an old phone, or does it give a completely fresh perspective on a 2010 classic? Read on for the full scoop. %Gallery-141746%
Refresh Roundup: week of October 24, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout attips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates Guess which phone's finally getting Gingerbread: the HTC Thunderbolt. Yes, we're being serious. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in, and thanks Eddie for the image!] Gingerbread is now rolling out to the Motorola Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global. [PhoneScoop] The HTC EVO Design 4G wasn't out for very long before it was ready for a maintenance release. It's called version 1.19.651.0, and no change log was found right away. More HTC stuff: the EVO 3D also offers a small bug fix in the form of a security update under the name of version 2.08.651.3. [AndroidCentral] The LG Revolution on Verizon's also officially gaining Android 2.3. [Pocketnow] In the UK, HTC Desire S owners are now finding themselves beneficiaries of the Android 2.3.5 firmware update as well as Sense 3.0. [AndroidCentral] How about a couple for the little guys? CSpire, formerly known as Cellular South, is pushing Gingerbread to its Samsung Galaxy S and Motorola Milestone X. [AndroidCentral(1) and (2)] Sony Ericsson announced this week that Android 2.3.4 is rolling out to the 2011 Xperia lineup around the world. Additional enhancements include 16x video zoom, WiFi DLNA, screen capture capability, ability to attach USB peripherals to Sony Ericsson LiveDock and more. Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery The Samsung Stratosphere on Verizon has been successfully rooted. [AndroidCommunity] HTC devices receiving the official Gingerbread kernel source from HTCDev this week: The Evo Shift 4G, the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible. [AndroidCentral] When it rains, it pours -- the Thunderbolt, on top of receiving Gingerbread and its accompanying kernel source, has also found itself on the receiving end of an Ice Cream Sandwich SDK port. As can be expected, it's still in prealpha stages and has a few bugs to work out. [AndroidCommunity] If you're a CM7 user, there's now a file available that will turn your lock screen into one that resembles Ice Cream Sandwich's style. [Droid-Life] Other platforms Microsoft's pushing a firmware upgrade to the LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone which seems to grace the device with WiFi tethering and the ability to locate hidden WiFi networks. [WMPowerUser] It's not a BlackBerry firmware update, but many people still have a soft spot for BBM and will be interested to know that RIM is putting out version 6.0.1 with a few enhancements. Head to the source to check it out. [MobileTechReview] Refreshes we covered this week Windows Phone Mango now being delivered to 100 percent of compatible devices Windows Phone Apollo coming 'middle of next year,' says Nokia VP Nokia N8 gets Symbian Anna service pack update Symbian Anna update rolls out to compatible Nokia smartphones in the US Motorola Xoom will get updated with Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB game controllers and HDMI RIM confirms PlayBook OS 2.0 delayed until February, still no BBM in sight Sprint issues OTA fix for HTC Android handset vulnerability
Samsung Stratosphere, Motorola Droid RAZR to be first Verizon LTE phones with Micro SIMs?
Looks like Verizon's got a hardware-crush on teensy 3FF Micro SIMs. The carrier's two latest 4G handsets, Samsung's Stratosphere and Motorola's Droid RAZR, both appear to make do with the diminutive cards. Neither, however, would be the first, as that honor was bestowed upon the carrier's version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. If you're eager to call one of these devices your own, but already sport Big Red's LTE service, then get set to bust out the scissors for a little SIM card arts and crafts. Further pictorial proof of these itsy, bitsy modules awaits you at the source.
Samsung Stratosphere lands on Verizon October 13th: LTE and QWERTY for $150
We had a pretty clear indication that the Samsung Stratosphere was headed to Verizon soon, and the carrier has now made it official. As expected, the Android 2.3-based phone will be available on October 13th, when it'll set you back $149.99 after the usual rebate / two-year contract business. In addition to LTE capabilities and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, that will buy you a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash 'round back that's paired with a 1.3 megapixel counterpart up front. Press release is after the break.
Samsung Stratosphere cleared for Verizon landing October 13th
It seems like only yesterday that we got the full specy treatment from Samsung's QWERTYriffic Stratosphere -- 4-inch Super AMOLED display, Android 2.3 and 5MP rear-facing camera included. There was an important bit of information missing from the proceedings, however -- namely a release date. Droid Life has shed some light on that little mystery -- according to the site, the LTE handset should start offering up its Gingerbread goodness on Verizon starting October 13th.
Samsung Stratosphere lays it all out with spec sheet treatment
The upcoming Samsung Stratosphere for Verizon Wireless is hardly a secret, but other than a few rumored details, the specs for this LTE-equipped QWERTY slider have remained a bit of a mystery. Now, all that has changed, thanks in large part to its leaked spec sheet from Big Red -- just take a peek after the break. It'll be packing a 4-inch Super AMOLED display with WVGA resolution, a (presumably) single-core 1GHz processor, along with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 4GB microSD card that's pre-installed. Curiously, it'll be the first of Verizon's LTE phones to incorporate a Micro SIM in place of the larger, traditional offering. Other than that, it looks as if the speculation of Android 2.3, along with its 5MP rear / 1.3MP front cams were dead on. There will also be an LED flash in tow, although video capture will be limited to a rather mundane 480p. That said, if you're thirsting for speed but are needing a keyboard, the Stratosphere is looking like your obvious (albeit only) choice.
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 19, 2011: Opera Software, builder of the popular mobile browser, announced it was acquiring Handster, an app store platform that supports Android, WP7, BlackBerry, and Symbian. [TechCrunch] Samsung unveiled three new HSDPA feature phones destined for India: the Champ 3.5G (S3770), Primo (S5610) and Chat 527 (S5270). [UnwiredView and SammyHub] A leaked image indicates the HTC Hero S will be coming to US Cellular in the near future. The device appears to be the Kingdom, and is expected to feature a 1.2GHz single-core Qualcomm CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 4-inch qHD display and Gingerbread. [PocketNow] Speaking of US Cellular, the Motorola Electrify officially became available for purchase online this week (expected in stores on September 26th), and can be yours for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate. [AndroidCentral] Wirefly accidentally outed press renders of the Samsung Stratosphere -- on the retailer's Pantech Breakout page. The images have since been removed. [OwenJohnston] A white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is making the rounds in the UK, but we learned this week that Bell Canada will be launching it well before the holidays. Interestingly, the device in the image (seen above) has retained the international version's three-button layout. [MobileSyrup] Among the barrage of new phones Sprint's releasing on October 2nd is the BlackBerry Curve 9350, according to another leaked employee memo. The price will likely be $80 after a $50 mail-in rebate. [CrackBerry] T-Mobile MVNO Simple Mobile announced a new unlimited prepaid plan for BlackBerry devices for $60 / month, which includes access to T-Mo's HSPA+ network. [N4BB] Huawei appears to have outed press images of the Honor, which is said to have a 4-inch FWVGA LCD, Gingerbread, 1.4GHz CPU (no specifics known yet), and an 8MP rear camera accompanied by a front-facing cam (again, no details on the resolution here). [EuroDroid] A member of the iPhone Dev Team has released a new version of Redsn0w, its popular iOS jailbreaking software, known as 0.9.9b1. Check the link to get the full list of new features. [Technobolt]
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 12, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 12, 2011: Vodacom South Africa has joined the data throttling club, though this carrier is taking a slightly different spin: BlackBerry users consuming more than 100MB of data each month will find their download speeds downgraded to GPRS or EDGE. The company claims this will only affect less than five percent of its BlackBerry customers. [via N4BB] Bada fans: the Samsung Wave 578 is featured on Orange's site as "coming soon." [via The Inquirer] Motorola announced the availability of the Fire and Fire XT in India this week. [via Motorola] The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is now being sold at Vodafone UK. [via Vodafone] Parrot announced the most recent addition to its lineup of Bluetooth products, called the Minikit+, a refresh of its popular hands-free speakerphone. The new model offers simultaneous pairing and voice commands. [via Parrot] Research in Motion is hoping to put the NFC functionality in OS 7 to good use, as it announced that the BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9330 as well as the Curve 9350 / 9360 will support HID's iCLASS digital keys, which means corporate folks will able to use their smartphone as an access card. [via PhoneScoop] While digging through the Droid Bionic's webtop app, the names of two unknown Motorola phones were discovered: the Edison and the Common. Little is known about the Common, but a recent FCC filing mentioned the Edison and is speculated to be the follow-up to the Atrix, albeit sans LTE as originally hoped. [via Droid-Life] The manager of the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, Matt Bencke, wrote a post pleading developers to submit their Mango-compatible apps as soon as possible, as the new update is coming to existing phones soon and it's obviously very important to have Windows Phone 7.5 run as smooth as possible. [via WMPowerUser] A leaked Radio Shack roadmap indicates the HTC Vigor should be available in stores by October 20th, and the QWERTY-packing Samsung Stratosphere will be up for online ordering as early as October 6th. As this is a third-party retailer, we can't say with surety that these dates reflect the carrier's official release. [via Droid-Life]
Samsung Stratosphere makes its obligatory FCC visit, confirms membership in Verizon's LTE club
We know, the image above is hardly as detailed as the ones we glanced at this morning, but it has its measure of significance nonetheless. It's a rough diagram of the Samsung SCH-i405 -- a phone known to us as the Stratosphere -- as it appears in FCC filings approved today. The documents' mention of LTE band 13 (as well as CDMA / EVDO) seems to confirm rumors that suggest the aforementioned device will be coming to Verizon's 4G network, likely sooner rather than later. If you've been eager to see an Epic 4G-esque QWERTY slider on the largest carrier in the US, this will be your golden opportunity. Of course, this may prove to be a drop in the bucket when compared to an impending flood of even more tempting handsets.
Verizon Wireless year-end roadmap leaks, Android and LTE spotted on the horizon?
Nope. There's no mention of a Nexus Prime in this glimpse of VZW future, but don't let that stop you from drooling over the purported goods. The leaked shot over on IGN lays out a back-to-school road filled with Android phones a plenty, and one lone RIM entry. September 8th is gearing up to be a busy Thursday for Big Red, with launches slated for the Droid Bionic, Motorola Xoom 4G, BlackBerry Curve 9370 (the LTE cousin of 'Apollo'?) and Samsung Stratosphere -- the operator's rumored Galaxy S II variant. The end of the month gets a 2.3 combo of Gingerbread phones as the Samsung Illusion (codenamed Viper), and HTC Bliss touch down on the 29th. Refreshes for a couple of the carrier's early LTE phones debut in October, when the Thunderbolt gets pushed aside by the virile HTC Vigor and LG gets a redo with the Revolution 2. Samsung's Galaxy Tab P8 (most likely the Galaxy Tab 8.9) gets an unconfirmed November mention, while BlackBerry's PlayBook languishes in a release date grey zone. Ready for that end-of-year upgrade? From the looks of things, there'll be no dearth of options.
