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Engadget UK Giveaway: win a Sony Xperia Z courtesy of Expansys
With Sony's latest flagship making its UK debut this week, what better way to celebrate than giving one away? The kind people at Expansys have donated a device for one lucky reader in the UK, while the handset is still only open to pre-orders. If you've entered one of our giveaways before, you may think you know the drill -- but hold up there sonny, as things have changed. Head past the break, and you'll be greeted with our new super competition entry machine (well, widget). Now you have a choice of methods to let you take part, and you can enter more than once should you so choose. If you preferred the old way, you can still comment to enter, but be sure to tell us via the widget or we'll never know (but we will check that you did comment). Entries are open until 12pm (GMT) / 7am ET Friday morning, and be sure to read the terms and conditions. Well... what are you waiting for?
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 22nd, 2012
If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, T-Mobile announced the price and release date for the Optimus L9, carriers were announced in Canada for the ATIV S Windows Phone and ZTE released a low-priced Android smartphone for Virgin Mobile in the UK. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of October 22nd, 2012.
Engadget UK Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III courtesy of Expansys!
If you live in the UK, and you've more than a passing interest in mobile phones (we're guessing that's a given), then you are probably already familiar with Expansys. The online store, known for its wide range of gadgets, and geek-friendly pricing, has kindly given us one of Samsung's Galaxy S III handsets to give away. For the uninitiated, all you have to do to win this piece of tech nobility is leave a comment below. Well, along with reading, and complying, with the rules set out below. Most importantly, on this occasion, you must be a UK resident. Good luck! Update: We've gotten hold of the actual handset we'll be sending out, and it turns out to be Pebble Blue rather than the Marble White originally shown above. Do you still want it?
Motorola Droid Maxx hitting the UK in mid-May, available for pre-order now
We were aware of Motorola's plan to send the husky member of the RAZR lineup on an overseas quest next month, but aside from telling us it was heading to Europe, we hadn't heard any specifics -- at least until now. Earlier today, Moto announced the RAZR Maxx will bring its long-lasting powers to the UK, with expected availability around mid-May and pre-orders commencing today. Currently, this 4.3-inch, Gingerbread handset is up for grabs from Clove and Expansys for £430.80 and £429.99, respectively, while Amazon is also planning to offer the device. If that kind of cash isn't an objection, you can hit up either of the source links below to snag one for yourself.
Unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 now available on Expansys, plays nice with AT&T
You could sit there and twiddle your thumbs while you wait for the Lumia 800 to arrive on US shores. Or you could just head over to Expansys, where you can grab an unlocked version of Nokia's new handset, for $789. The Mango-soaked device comes packed with 16GB of internal storage and is primed for use on AT&T, so if you're prepared to shell out the dough, check out the source link below.
Galaxy Nexus shipping now in America: unlocked for $750 through Expansys
Pre-order, pre-schmorder. Americans more anxious to blow $750 on the planet's first Ice Cream Sandwich handset than anything on Black Friday can do so right now, as Samsung's Galaxy Nexus is shipping from the warehouses at Expansys. We've received independent confirmation that orders placed today are shipping out, with the aforesaid tally nabbing you an unlocked 16GB GSM (HSPA+) build that plays nice with T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G bands. What it won't nab you, however, is a pack of nabs. Can't win 'em all, right? [Thanks, Dan]
Want a Nokia N9 in the US? Expansys has some, but it'll cost ya
So you have a hankerin' for a new phone and seven Benjamins burning a hole in your pocket. What's a person to do? Even though Nokia won't be selling the N9 -- the company's one and only MeeGo device -- in the US through official channels, you can at least pick up one with relative ease courtesy of Expansys for a mere $690. From what we can tell, it only appears to be available in black for the moment. We'd love to see the myriad other colors come to the States as well, but when we do the math, one is still at least more than zero. Head to the source to see for yourself.
Nokia N9 coming to UK and Sweden through back door
Okay, so Nokia has made it abundantly clear that the N9 -- the company's current halo smartphone -- has no future in the US, UK, or most recently... Germany. It's quite the bum's rush for the handset that could have been Mr. Elop's shining star, but if you live in Sweden or the UK, there's still a few options. Independent dealers Katshing (for Sweden), and Expansys (for the UK), are both offering the device on pre-order. The release date hasn't been established by either reseller, but Katshing quotes a price of 5,490 Kronas ($845). Unfortunately, Expansys is remaining coy with its pricing strategy -- perhaps recognizing its new relative exclusivity. It's sad seeing the N9 fading into oblivion before its release, but if you're still pining over this sweet slab, at least these independents are watching out for you.
LG's dual-core Optimus 2X superphone now available from Expansys
The world's most adored across-the-pond mobile retailer has just received its first batch of LG superphones, a gem by the name of Optimus 2X. As you well know by now, the company's playing this up as the planet's first dual-core smartphone, and while we'd hoped that the Tegra 2-based device would be everywhere by now, at least it's sticking to its scheduled release date over in Europe. Those interested in picking one up can get a SIM-free version headed their way for £449.99, while a free-on-contract affair can be had with T-Mobile, Vodafone and a host of others. Your credit card's been awful naughty of late -- dish out a little punishment by visiting the source link below. [Thanks, Robert]
Dell Venue Pro gets Expansys listing: £499.99 for November 8th (update: Amazon, too)
Don't take this as the gospel, but online retailer Expansys has gone ahead and listed Dell's Venue Pro -- affectionately known as "the Windows Phone 7 device with a portrait QWERTY slider" -- with pricing and availability date in tow. Which, if you're wondering, is £499.99 (or about $783 in US dollars, when crudely converted) and Monday, November 8th, respectively. That's just over two weeks away, which means if it is true, you won't have long to wait... and if it's not true, you'll know soon enough, anyway. Update: PC World's spotted the same date and price for the Venue Pro on Amazon UK. You lucky Brits.
Samsung Galaxy Tab reported to retail at €699 and €799 in Europe (update: O2 Germany pricing)
An increasing number of Euroland news outlets are reporting an eye-watering set of prices for Samsung's Galaxy Tab. Although still unofficial and therefore not yet to be trusted, the values we're hearing are €699 ($890) in France and €799 ($1,020) in Germany. Those presumably represent the cost of the 16GB and 32GB Tab, respectively, and align perfectly with Apple's iPad WiFi + 3G pricing -- aside from the fact the iPads have double the storage at each price point. Oops! That does make us wary to believe these numbers just yet, but if you want a laugh, why not check out UK importer Expansys today, which is offering a cracking deal for the 16GB Galaxy Tab at £680 ($1,050). And with only a 39-day wait! [Thanks to everyone who sent these in] Update: So we're hearing some conflicting information here. Samsung itself is telling us at IFA that no pricing has been announced and that any prices floating around are speculation -- but it seems the company has already announced a suggested retail prices of SEK 9,000 in Sweden including VAT, which works out to about $1,240 (or $930 without VAT). In other words, even after taxes have been removed from the equation, you're looking at a pretty pricey option for an unsubsidized device here. Let's hope we see some steep discounts on contract, eh? Thanks, Rasmus! Update 2: O2 Germany's official Twitter account informs us that the Galaxy Tab will cost the Bundesrepublik roughly €759 (about $972) in all -- a €99 ($127) deposit to start off and then €27.50 ($35) a month likely over two years. Thanks, Nils!
Acer's Android-powered Stream confirmed for Expansys-exclusive August 9th launch
Acer's Android-powered Stream phone already got official way back in May -- and we got our hands on it at Computex in June -- but the company has only just now confirmed a launch date. According to Acer, the Stream will be rolling out on August 9th, and it'll be exclusive to UK-based online retailer Expansys, at least initially. As for the phone itself, you can expect a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, Android 2.1 for an OS, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording (no flash, though), an HDMI out port, and full DLNA / UPnP support for media streaming (hence the name). Of course, being exclusive to Expansys also means you won't be getting a subsidized price -- look for this one to set you back £399, or just over $600. Full press release is after the break. Update: And it looks like we've got our first unboxing with the final retail packaging. Video's after the break.
Expansys becomes exclusive retailer for Huawei S7 Android tablet
Huawei's Android-based, Snapdragon-powered S7 tablet certainly managed to impress at Computex earlier this month, and it looks like you'll soon be able to get one yourself -- UK retailer Expansys has announced that it'll be the first to carry it and, for the time being at least, the only place to get one. Somewhat curiously, Expansys lists a 768MHz Snapdragon processor, not 1GHz as we had heard before, but the rest of the specs are right in line. That includes Android 2.1, a 7-inch WVGA display, 3G and WiFi connectivity, a 2-megapixel camera, and a microSD card slot for some additional storage, among other standard tablet fare. Sound like just the tablet you've been waiting for? It'll set you back £299 (or about $450) and should ship within seven days.
Motorola Milestone becomes eXpansys UK's 'fastest selling gadget'
Call it a pent-up demand for WVGA Android devices, call it Droid jealousy, call it an unnatural love for the sweet, doughy goodness of a just-baked Eclair -- but whatever it is, early indications suggest that the British love their Milestones. Retailer eXpansys (which is big enough to actually produce some meaningful sales trend data, we suspect) is reporting that the just-launched Droid clone for GSM became "the fastest selling gadget in the website's 11 year history, even more successful than the iPhone" when it sold out inside of three hours on its site on top of the roughly 1,000 preorders they had taken prior to the 10th. This might be a case of double-speak -- we're trying to establish just how many phones were sold during those three hours, because what we really need is a sales rate, not a time span alone -- so we're cautioning Moto not to bust out the champagne glasses just yet, but it's certainly looking like a promising start. Schaumburg hasn't had a lot of success in Western Europe in recent years, of course, but if we can use eXpansys as a barometer here, we'd say that a little cautious optimism is well justified.
Acer A1 Android phone listed for pre-order with 768MHz processor
We'd been hearing that Acer's Android-based A1 smartphone would be hitting this month, and while we still haven't heard anything official, it's just gone up for pre-order at Expansys. The spec sheet is rather intriguing, since it lists Android 2.0 Donut and a 768MHz Qualcomm 8250 processor, which is a 240MHz bump over every other Android set on the market right now. Pre-orders aren't insane at €389 ($571), but we'll see what official pricing and carrier support look like before we reach for our wallets.[Via Engadget German]
Sony Ericsson's Android-powered XPERIA X3 sorta confirmed by way of retailer
We don't take the word of just any retailer at face value, but when a big player like eXpansys decides that it's time to list a new phone in its inventory, that usually means something's afoot. The company's British outpost has now listed full details for a phone it's identifying simply as "Xperia" in its headline, but if you read further in, you'll see that the product code is "SEMXP3_BLK_UK", suggesting X3 is the likely moniker for Rachael. For your hard-earned (but yet-to-be-determined) money, you'll get pretty much everything you could possibly want, spec-wise: 10Mbps HSDPA and 2Mbps HSUPA, 8 megapixel cam with image stabilization and LED flash, 3.5mm headphone jack, a 4-inch 800 x 400 display (a first at this resolution for a production Android device), AGPS, and microSDHC expansion. Sadly, it's listed as 900 / 2100 only for the 3G radio, so we'll need to rely on the telecommunication gods (and Sony Ericsson, we suppose) to deliver a North American version as well.[Via Slashgear and the::unwired]
HTC Touch Diamond2 trickles into retail
Carriers on the world still have weeks (or months) to get their butts in gear, but unlocked, unbranded HTC Touch Diamond2s are now starting to find their way onto retailers' virtual shelves around the world. At the time of this writing, UK-based Devicewire reports that it has 10 in stock -- probably not enough to satisfy worldwide demand, we'd wager, but it's a start -- and Expansys should be close behind, saying that it expects a release today. Devicewire's sticker price is going to set you back £449.99 (about $672) after VAT, so who's in? [Via MoDaCo] Read - Devicewire Read - Expansys
OQO looking for buyer, Model 2+ future in limbo?
Oh no, OQO. According to some chatter on the OQOTALK forums, the company's in dire financial straits and is looking to sell, and that the Model 2+ may be the last OQO device made, if it ever gets released. More worrisome, European retailer eXpansys is reportedly canceling orders for the MID and removing all the company's products from the site, due to what it's telling customers is "uncertainties to stock availability." Ouch. Whatever's going on, right now it's not sounding too good -- guess that Model 2+ Lie to Me cameo wasn't enough to rile up overwhelming support.Read - jkontherunRead - OQOTALK forums
Nokia's N97 spotted online, gets ugly price and date?
It seems eXpansys is on a roll with new sets, dates, and pricing as Nokia's flagship N97 device gets on the board for a mind numbing $1075. Sure, it has quad-band GSM, triple-band HSDPA, 32GB of storage, and just about every other bell and whistle imaginable, but that hurts. When it ships on the 23rd June -- that's IF it ships that day -- we're hoping the price will have wandered south a fair bit, because that'll hurt even with a carrier subsidy -- though, yeah, we know we'll still line up. Follow the read link to Ireland's eXpansys shop if you want to have a more detailed peek, shed a few tears, or something.[Thanks, Steven
HTC's Touch Diamond2 gets a little more real with date and price on eXpansys UK
While we wouldn't bet the bank on this price and date from eXpansys, it does give us a warm fuzzy feeling to know it's at least en route. The oft mis-stepping -- you know, leaking and such -- retailer has tagged the HTC Touch Diamond2 at £399 (roughly $570) with a potential shelf date of the 17th April. While it will ship with Windows Mobile 6.1, there is a mention in the "liner notes" on the page stating that it will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5. Now we'll simply have to wait and see how it really pans out and how its bigger -- and likely pricier -- sibling, the HTC Touch Pro2 gets treated.[Via WMPoweruser]