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BlackBerry Z10 official: 4.2-inch 1,280 x 768 display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus, LTE, BB 10 for $200
After months of rumors, speculation and official teases, RIM's BlackBerry's first full-touch BlackBerry 10 device -- the Z10 -- is finally official. Look familiar? It should. Thanks to an incessant stream of leaks, the handset you see in black and white above had become something of an open secret. But now we can confirm that candybar slab does indeed pack specs quite similar to that of the Dev Alpha unit that preceded it. Bucking the bigger is better trend we've seen in the mobile industry as of late, the Z10 comes outfitted with a palm-friendly 4.2-inch 1,280 x 768 display -- amounting to a pixel density of 356 dpi -- and measures in at 5.13 (130mm) x 2.6 (66mm) x 0.37 (9.3mm) inches, making it significantly bulkier than, say, the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III. So, it's not the thinnest device we've seen as of late, but at 138 grams, the Z10 certainly won't be weighing down your hand. Beneath its mixture of aluminum and hard, textured plastic lies a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus buffered by 2GB RAM, a removable 1,800mAh battery, slots for microSD (up to 32GB supported) and micro SIM, as well as radios for Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (integrated into the backplate) and WiFi a/b/g/n. And because no 2013-era smartphone launch could go without it, the Z10 will ship LTE-ready for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, with carrier-branded models across the top four US operators. Long time BlackBerry fans will be glad to note that the Z10 does, indeed, sport that familiar red notification LED, in addition to ports for micro-USB, micro-HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the imaging front, the handset packs a 2-megapixel front facer (720p video) and 8-megapixel rear shooter capable of 1080p recording -- both perfect for using Scalado's Time Shift camera software. Of course, it nearly goes without saying that the Z10 is RIM's showcase entry point for its BB 10 OS. Of the stateside carriers, Verizon is the first to confirm that it'll charge $199.99 for the handset on a two-year deal when the hardware arrives in March, and has also called shotgun on the white version as an exclusive. You can read along at our liveblog!
Samsung P500 and i915 tablets for Sprint and Verizon, Galaxy Note II for Sprint reach the FCC (update: Note II for US Cellular as well)
When it rains, it pours. As if to clear the decks, Samsung has passed three devices through the FCC's scrutiny at the same time. Two, the SPH-P500 and SCH-i915, are LTE-equipped tablets respectively headed to Sprint and Verizon with a dash of mystery; their label images imply a pair of Galaxy Tab 2 variants, but both have previously been spotted in as yet unverified benchmarks that allude to much faster Snapdragon S4 processors instead of the Tab 2's TI chips. The SPH-L900's dimensions and dual-mode support make for a safer bet, pointing to what's likely the Galaxy Note II for Sprint. We're less concerned with the hardware details so much as when everything ships -- although we may get a clearer picture of the Sprint Galaxy Note II's fate around October 24th, the tablets aren't linked to any kind of public schedule, official or otherwise. Update: Not long after Sprint's Galaxy Note sequel arrived in the FCC, US Cellular's flavor -- the SCH-R950 -- also made it through the federal approval process.
Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE surfaces for Sprint
If you found yourself on the wrong network for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Stellar smartphone, consider this: The Galaxy Victory. This little slab was leaked to Android Central recently, sporting similar specs to Verizon's upcoming budget device. Like its cousin, the Victory appears to have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a TouchWiz flavored serving of Ice Cream Sandwich and a 4-inch 800 x 480 display -- but it sets itself apart with a five-megapixel rear facing camera and quad-band GSM support. The handset also plays nice with Samsung's TecTiles accessory, as well as Google Wallet, Beam and other NFC standards. An internal employee promotion from Sprint pegs the device for a September release, but makes no mention of price or specific availability.
Asus Transformer Pad Infinity shows up at Best Buy, commands $600 price tag, 64GB of storage
You didn't think ASUS pushed its souped up Transformer slate through federal approval for the sake of its health, did you? No, if Best Buy's online store has anything to say about it, the Transformer Pad Infinity's FCC excursion was preparing it for sale. It's not quite ready yet, but when it is, Best Buy will apparently be handing the slab out for $599 and change, netting buyers 64GB of storage, NVIDIA's Tegra 3 processor and a 1,920 x 1,200 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display. The listing appears to be for the WiFi-only version of the tablet, with no mention of the Snapdragon S4-equipped LTE variant that ASUS announced earlier this year. According to the product page, the unreleased hardware is currently "sold out online," but at least you know how many pennies you'll need to pinch. Check it out at the source link below. [Thanks, Uly]
Qualcomm: all new Windows Phone 8 devices to be powered by Snapdragon S4 Plus for now
The puzzle pieces are already falling into place, one at a time. After announcing Qualcomm as the exclusive chipset provider for upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets, we didn't get any word on which models would be used. Fortunately, Qualcomm reps have confirmed to us that all new devices will feature the MSM8960 dual-core Krait (Snapdragon S4 Plus) processor for now. As a sidenote, the company told us that other chipsets may be used at a later time, but Microsoft certainly appears eager to keep to its mantra of a universal experience amongst its phones.
PSA: AT&T's HTC One X now in stock, get it while it's frosty
While the AT&T One X is getting some flack for being blocked from HTC's bootloader unlocking program, the good news is that it's officially available starting today. So long as you're not fazed with having Sense 4 sprinkled on top of your 4.7-inch Ice Cream Sandwich, the dual-core, LTE-enabled device is on offer in gray or white for $200 with a two-year contract ($150 if you order through Amazon Wireless). Hit up the source links below to get your hands on a One X to call your own -- and don't forget to parse our review if you're still making up your mind about this frosty treat.
HTC One X for AT&T review
... More Info HTC One X review HTC One X exclusive to AT&T in the US, brings LTE, Beats, ICS and Sense 4 to Ma Bell AT&T HTC One X hands-on After last year's scattered lineup of products, HTC's been going through a bit of a renaissance lately thanks to the One X, One S and One V -- a beautifully focused trio of phones that run the company's new, lightweight Sense 4 skin on top of Ice Cream Sandwich. Hot on the heels of T-Mobile's One S comes AT&T's One X, which is launching May 6 for $199 on contract. The reworked device gains LTE and drops NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 chip for a dual-core Snapdragon S4. So, does this brain transplant make it a better or worse proposition than the global One X? Hit the break to find out.
ASUS rebrands its tablets 'Transformer Pads,' announces the high-end Infinity Series with either Tegra 3 or Snapdragon's S4 chip
Yes, another one. Less than four months after announcing the original T201 Transformer Prime aASUS is adding uno más to the collection. And don't be fooled by the name: though the company is rebranding its tablet line "Transformer Pads," the newly announced Infinity Series looks a lot like something we've already seen. Essentially, this is the TF700T announced at CES, with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 CPU and an optional LTE radio. Now, before you gasp that ASUS has ditched NVIDIA, hear this: there will still be a Tegra 3 option, but that's just the WiFi-only version; the 3G / 4G versions will pack the S4 chip. Additionally, there will be a lower-end 16GB option (the TF700T was only available in 32GB and 64GB flavors). Otherwise, the specs are the same, including dual 8MP / 2MP cameras, 1GB of RAM, HDMI and a 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200, Super IPS+ Gorilla Glass display. This time around, it has Gorilla Glass 2, but that's a mild spec bump indeed. Unlike the original Prime, which shipped with Honeycomb but updated to Ice Cream Sandwich shortly after going on sale, the Infinity Pad will run Android 4.0 out of the box. It also comes with 8GB of free lifetime ASUS WebStorage and is rated for 10 hours of battery life (16 with that signature keyboard dock, sold separately). No word yet on pricing or availability. In any case, though, we wouldn't be surprised if ASUS gave birth to another tablet between now and then.
Qualcomm's MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 benchmarks pop up online
We put Qualcomm's S4 development platform through its paces (twice, no less) at CES, but shorn of the glitz of Las Vegas, does it have the oomph to wow us? Someone at the company loosed Nenamark 2 on the slate, producing a score of 54.90. Given the fact that its producing graphics for a 1024 x 600 screen, we're excited to see it comfortably edge the Galaxy S II Skyrocket (54.1) and Galaxy Note (32.8) -- with our mouths watering at the thought of what this 28nm CPU can do in a smartphone. We've included the benchmark in full after the break, if you're ready for such exciting revelations.
