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Samsung T-Mobile slider flashes Chiclets for Mr. Blurrycam, could be the SGH-T699
If you're a fan of old-school QWERTY, it seems T-Mobile will soon have a clicky Samsung slider friend for you. The leaked image from TMoNews could also clear up a mystery and put a face to the name SGH-T699 we saw last month in a leaked user agent profile. From that we gleaned a 720P display, and new info points to a 5MP rear camera, Qualcomm S3 or S4 chip and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich to boot. We'll keep the skep-o-meter turned up high till we have confirmation for all that, but tactile keyboard phone lovers might want to start making plans.
Samsung Focus 2 review
Ready for Samsung's latest entrant to the Windows Phone game? Hopefully you answered "yes," because we're about to take you through an in-depth look at such a device: the Focus 2. Around the time that we United States-based Engadgeteers were lusting over Nokia's Lumia 800 and getting to know the HTC Titan, Samsung introduced its Focus S and lower-tiered Focus Flash WP7.5 handsets. Redmond's hardware restrictions haven't exactly changed much since then, begging the question as to how the Focus 2 fits in as a late follow-up to the original Focus from back in 2010. The bulk of the answer, of course, is LTE. This handset is the only other Windows Phone aside from the Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II to feature such connectivity on Ma Bell's network. That, and it's priced at just $50 dollars on a two-year commitment. Is it a veritable steal like the Focus Flash proved to be, though? Join us past the break where we'll lay it all out.
Samsung's Focus 2 arrives at AT&T today, a slice of LTE-equipped Mango for $50
Not long after Samsung's SGH-i667 "Mandel" looked like it would never see the light of day, the Windows Phone 7.5 device made its official debut at CTIA, dubbed as the Focus 2. As expected, the phone is officially on sale today at AT&T retailers across the US, giving folks another option aside from the HTC Titan II or flagship Lumia 900 for a fix of LTE and Mango on the network. To refresh your memory, you'll find a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and VGA camera up front, and a 5MP shooter on back that capture 720p video. Internally, there's a 1.4GHz single-core CPU (exceedingly par for the course for Windows Phone at this point) and a 1,750mAh battery to hopefully ensure you'll have enough juice to get through the day. Despite the speedy connectivity, we'd be remiss not to mention that the Focus 2 packs a paltry 8GB of non-expandable storage and only comes in Glossy Pure White -- but for fifty bucks under a new two-year agreement, we won't kvetch too much. Our full review is coming soon, so hit the source link for more details in the meantime.
LG Optimus 3D Max is a slimmer sequel, world's first phone with 3D video editing
We're not sure if the world was anxiously awaiting a follow-up to LG's Optimus 3D (the AT&T Thrill 4G here in the states), but here it is: the LG Optimus 3D Max -- or Optimus 3D Cube, depending on your country. The latter's been announced for Korean carrier SK Telecom, with the former rolling out to Europe later. The Optimus 3D Max is slightly thinner than its predecessor at 9.6mm vs. the Thrill 4G's 11.9mm, with a faster 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and 16GB of storage built-in, confirming most of the rumors we'd heard previously. According to LG, it will also be the world's first that can handle 3D photo and video editing right on its glasses-free 4.3-inch screen, all shot by the dual 5MP cameras mounted on the back. It also has NFC baked in to support the new LG Tag+ stickers that change the phone's settings when swiped, just like the Optimus LTE Tag. It's scheduled for release in early March with Android 2.3, but we're promised an Ice Cream Sandwich makeover soon after launch, just like its cousin, the Optimus Vu. Check out the full list of specs after the break and expect to us to get a firsthand look when Mobile World Congress kicks off on the 27th.Update: It looks like it'll also arrive in Europe with a new name; the Optimus 3D Max. Check the full English PR release below.
HTC Radar 4G gets November 2nd launch date on T-Mobile with $100 price tag
"In time for the holidays" has now been clarified to mean November 2nd. Nearly a month after T-Mobile initially unveiled the US version of the Windows Phone 7.5-containing HTC Radar, its Facebook page trumpeted the date along with its accompanying $100 cost attached to a two-year contract and after $50 mail-in rebate. So if this little 3.8-inch darling with 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 5MP rear camera and 4G network compatibility is on your wish list, you don't have to wait much longer.
LG Doubleplay packs dual screens, likes being different
We double-took when we noticed this strange little handset on T-Mobile's leaked fall roadmap under a 'Flip II' codename, and now it's emerged in some press shots with a doubly playful new moniker and a touch more clarity. We can see a five megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a front-facer of unknown resolution, and what's reported to be a 320x480 HVGA main display. We know very little about the secondary display except that it seems to give you quick access to your apps -- although we're hoping there's more to it than that. The roadmap indicated an imminent November 2nd launch for $150 on contract and it surely won't be long before we get some hands-on time. Til then, we'll just try to imagine the ergonomics.
Pantech Breakout now available to bring LTE to the light-walleted
An LTE handset on Verizon's network that doesn't feature a 4.3-inch display or a price tag that starts with a two or a three? Why, that would be the Pantech Breakout. The latest 4G phone on Big Red has finally been welcomed into the fold, available and ready to persuade more people to experience blazing-fast mobile broadband without frantically digging themselves out of debt. To recap, the Breakout features Android 2.3, a 1GHz single-core CPU and 512MB of RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera accompanied by a VGA front-facing cam and 720p HD video capture, a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) TFT LCD and a 1,500mAh juicepack. Worth a Benjamin? You make the call.
Kodak 'phasing out' low-end digicams, creating 5MP sensor for cameraphone
During the same 24 hours that BenQ called it quits on the digital camera market, Kodak has reportedly had similar thoughts when eying its low-end camera lineup. According to CNET, Kodak President Antonio Perez shared that the firm would be "abandoning the low-end of the digital camera business" at the JPMorgan Technology Conference in Boston. He also added that while the company "wasn't making much money" in that segment, it was developing its own five-megapixel CMOS sensor to be used in a (presumably mid-range) Kodak-branded digicam. More interesting, however, was the addition that this very sensor would also make its way into "several Motorola cell phones by the end of the year." Unsurprisingly, Mr. Perez was fairly tight-lipped about any further details on the deal, but it's about time we saw something more advanced than a grainy 1.3-megapixel shooter built into mainstream handsets.
