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Refresh Roundup: week of September 23rd, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Refresh Roundup: week of April 22nd, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. 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 we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
LG Spectrum 2 made official for Verizon, brings Optimus LTE II to the US for $100
Hints that LG would bring the Optimus LTE II to Verizon have persisted since the spring, which almost led us to wonder if the smartphone was still coming: not to fear, as it's finally here under the Spectrum 2 badge. Other than the expected switch-ups in navigation keys and the mix of both CDMA with global GSM roaming, the design will feel very familiar to anyone who's been on a trip to South Korea lately. The Spectrum 2 preserves the 4.7-inch AH-IPS display, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, 8-megapixel camera, 16GB of storage and support for wireless charging for those who buy a charging pad. We're also expecting a relatively light tweak of the software that keeps it running Android 4.0 for now, with LG's support for Tag+ stickers and QuickMemo being the standouts. We do wish we were looking at a quad-core Optimus G instead. For the moderate $100 post-rebate price, however, we'll take the two fewer processor cores -- especially when the Spectrum 2 is already on sale online and should be in retail stores sometime in the next few weeks.
Samsung Stratosphere II flaunts its keyboard for Verizon, LG Spectrum 2 confirmed as VS930
We've had a successor to the Stratosphere on our radar for a while now, but the expected refresh is now much more tangible, as the Samsung Stratosphere II has just been leaked as part of Verizon's equipment guide. Other than its QWERTY keyboard, 4-inch Super AMOLED display and LTE connectivity, however, little is known about the Android smartphone. As one point of interest, recent FCC certifications suggest that it'll support global roaming. Also revealed in the same equipment guide is the LG Spectrum 2, a localized version of the Optimus LTE II, which you've previously known as the VS930. The prevailing wisdom suggests it'll combine a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 with a 4.7-inch True HD IPS 720p display and Android 4.0.4. Like the Stratosphere II, the refreshed Spectrum is said to support global roaming -- just one more reason to take that dream vacation.
Optimus LTE II makes a cameo on Verizon as LG VS930 (Updated)
Oh hello there, LG VS930. This handset -- which was caught in the wild by Mr. Blurrycam's cousin, Ms. Quickiecam -- looks an awful lot like an Optimus LTE II for Verizon. This makes even more sense when you consider that its predecessor, the VS920 aka. Spectrum, recently received end-of-life status. According to the anonymous tipster who sent us these pictures, the phone will ship with the following features: Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC 4.7-inch "True HD IPS" display (1280 x 720 pixels) 16GB of built-in storage Global radio support (GSM/UMTS/CDMA/LTE) NFC (it comes with programmable tags) There's no word on whether the VS930 will inherit the Optimus LTE II's 2GB of RAM [see update below] or the VS920's branding -- Spectrum 2 perhaps? We'll keep you posted when we find out more, like pricing and availability. In the meantime, take a look at the gallery below for some closer shots.%Gallery-160134% Update: More information is coming to light about the VS930, including a possible July 13th launch and the service manual (PDF link), which contains a ton of photos and information. The 9.2mm (0.36-inches) thick handset features 1GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel autofocus camera. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
