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Isis' NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video)
To say that the launch of Isis has felt drawn out would be a mild understatement. The alliance first signaled its intentions two years ago, detailed its first markets one year ago and faced a last-minute delay. All the ducks are finally in a row, however, and residents of both Austin as well as Salt Lake City can tap to pay (or score discounts) at the "hundreds" of locations that accept NFC-based purchases through American Express, Capital One, Chase and Isis' own cash card. Launch day brings app- and SIM-enabled access for nine devices spread rather unevenly across AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon: only the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is confirmed working for Verizon subscribers, while the rest are divided more equally between multiple Samsung Galaxies and HTC devices like the Amaze 4G and One X. Over 20 phones should be Isis-aware before the end of the year. It's a potentially strong start to one of the few truly cross-network mobile payment systems in the US, but we see a long road ahead before Isis gives Google Wallet some jitters -- there's legions of banks, cities and stores needed before Isis is widespread, and we're not counting on that ever-elusive universal hardware support.
Refresh Roundup: week of August 13th, 2012
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 June 11th, 2012
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 May 28th, 2012
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 May 21st, 2012
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!
T-Mo delays HTC Amaze 4G online orders due to 'unforeseen issue,' has other recommendations
Hot off the heels of the One X and EVO 4G LTE spending some prolonged time at customs, now another member of HTC's sensational family appears to be feeling the rigorous effects of the ITC. According to a recent email acquired by TmoNews, it looks as if the Magenta carrier is delaying shipments of the HTC Amaze 4G in the US, saying it's facing "an unforeseen issue with receiving the product from the manufacturer," and that it doesn't know when the handset will be up for grabs again. What's also interesting here, however, is T-Mobile going as far as recommending Sammy's Galaxy S Blaze 4G as a substitute -- which, let's face it, can't be good news for HTC. Here's to hoping this all gets sorted out relatively soon. In the meantime, you can check out the aforementioned email in its entirety at the source below.
T-Mobile gives HTC Sensation 4G users an Ice Cream Sandwich treat on May 16, Amaze 4G within weeks
T-Mobile subscribers waiting on pins and needles for the day their HTC Sensation 4G or Amaze 4G will get its Android 4.0 update don't have to sit so uncomfortably for much longer: the carrier has just narrowed down the timetables considerably. The first wave of owners will get its Ice Cream Sandwich just desserts on May 16th, when Sensation 4G owners can push Android 4.0.3 to their dual-core 2011 flagships. Amaze 4G users have a looser timeframe of the "coming weeks" to dig in. Either circumstance will see HTC slap on Sense 3.6 like it has with other pre-2012 device updates, so don't expect a full One S-like Sense 4.0 experience. Do, however, expect to pay an extra $15 per month for hotspot support on the Sensation 4G if you've been sharing your service on the cheap before -- it'll be required for sharing data with Android 4.0 and up.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 23rd, 2012
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!
Leaked T-Mobile roadmap outlines Ice Cream Sandwich updates, new myTouch devices
Looks like our friends over at TMoNews have unearthed a roadmap with some tasty morsels of info about what's coming down the pipe from T-Mobile USA in the next few months. Of course, none of this is set in stone or even confirmed, so take it with a grain of salt. Most interesting is a pair of dates for Ice Cream sandwich updates, with Magenta's Galaxy S II slated to receive Android 4.0 on May 14th, followed by the Sensation 4G and Amaze 4G getting ICS (with Sense 3.6, presumably) on June 16th. A bunch of device launches from Samsung and Huawei round up the list of dates, with no sign of HTC's One X, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S III, or T-Mobile's rumored Galaxy Note variant. Sadness. Check out the entire bounty below. May 9th: Huawei Astor (low-end phone for 7-Eleven) July 11th: Huawei Buddy and Phoenix (myTouch QWERTY and slate, respectively) July 11th: Samsung Gravity TXT (new color) Aug 1st: Samsung T159 Cacao (low-end handset) Aug 15th: Samsung Apex Q (mystery device)
T-Mobile, Motorola respond to Senator Franken's Carrier IQ questions
The deadline has passed for T-Mobile and Motorola to respond to Senator Al Franken's Carrier IQ questionnaire, and both companies' reports are in. We'll first tackle T-Mobile's letter: the carrier stated that it began installing CIQ last August, and nearly 450,000 Android and BlackBerry devices are infested with the IQ Agent software, which is used for individual troubleshooting cases and marketing purposes. This is a more moderate use than Sprint or AT&T, which both mentioned that it was actively pinging their CIQ-enabled phones to collect data on service and wireless performance on their networks. Nine T-Mobile devices in total contain the IQ Agent: the HTC Amaze 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II and Exhibit II 4G, LG MyTouch and MyTouchQ, LG DoublePlay and the BlackBerry 9900, 9810 and 9360. Motorola, meanwhile, admitted that CIQ is installed on four of its devices: the Admiral, Titanium, Bravo and Atrix 2. While this rounds up all of the companies that were asked by Senator Franken to respond, we're still anxious to see what kind of effect this will have. We've already witnessed one major change, as Sprint's agreed to disable the software on its phones, but who's next? Where do we go from here?
Refresh Roundup: week of December 12, 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 at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
HTC announces specifics on Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades, includes Rezound
It's been a little over two weeks since Google unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich along with its first ambassador, the Galaxy Nexus. Since then, a few manufacturers have shared their intent to bring Android 4.0 to specific devices. HTC was initially rather vague about its upgrade plans -- no doubt faced with the daunting task of keeping Sense relevant in light of ICS' vast design improvements -- but tonight the Taiwanese giant issued an official statement on Facebook outlining specifics on its Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades. Basically, it looks like most (if not all) of HTC's high-end phones since the introduction of the Sensation will be getting a taste of Google's latest tasty treat early next year, including the recently announced Rezound. Here's the full statement: HTC knows how excited our fans are to get their hands on Google's latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, so we're thrilled today to announce the first wave of HTC phones that will receive upgrades: We can confirm the brand new HTC Vivid is upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich. In addition, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming in early 2012 to a variety of devices including the HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation XL and HTC Sensation XE, as well as the HTC Rezound, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G and HTC Amaze 4G through close integration with our carrier partners. We're continuing to assess our product portfolio, so stay tuned for more updates on device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Ice Cream Sandwich.
Engadget compares iPhone 4S,Galaxy S II, Nokia N8 and Amaze 4G cameras
Engadget spent the weekend comparing the cameras of the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Galaxy S II, Nokia N8 and Amaze 4G. The iPhone 4S camera is a marquee feature of the device with its 8 MP sensor and an f/2.4 aperture lens. The 4S also shoots in full 1080p HD video. With regards to the iPhone 4S, Engadget generally praised the quality of the photos and video the device took, saying, "The iPhone 4S is a pleasure to shoot with. The camera is ready to capture its first image within a second of launch, and tapping to focus after recomposing is painless and speedy...Its image quality rivals many point and shoot cameras in most conditions...Overall, we were most often pleased with photos we shot with the iPhone 4S." Of course, Engadget found reason to praise the other phones as well. The Amaze 4G took sharper photos in Engadget's testing, for example. Engadget also noted that Apple's competitors offer more advanced manual controls over exposure, white balance and ISO sensitivity. Of course, there are a number of iPhone apps that provide similar features. The iPhone 4S lost out big on battery life. Engadget noted that "After about two hours of wandering around town, shooting several dozen photos and about 10 minutes of HD video with each device, the iPhone 4S had just 30% of battery left." The iPhone 4, on the other hand, had 53% of its battery remaining, and that's with Engadget sending some emails and making some phone calls too. The worse battery life while using the camera can mainly be chalked up the fact that the iPhone 4S has to process much larger files due to its 8 MP sensor and 1080p video recording capabilities. It's a good comparison, and we encourage you to read the whole thing.
Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Amaze 4G on sale at T-Mobile
Sure, we knew this day was coming, but now the wait is finally over. Now the main question for T-Mobile customers at the end of their contract is whether to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S II or HTC Amaze 4G. Both handsets are now on sale from the carrier, running $229 and $259, respectively (plus plan, post-rebate, naturally). Thankfully, we've got a full review of the 4.52-inch Galaxy S II magenta edition and a hands-on with the 4.3-inch Amaze 4G, which should help make the deciding a bit easier.
How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint?
As Apple unleashes the iPhone 4S on AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint, the biggest question on everyone's mind is how much will the phone really cost? As the third US carrier to sell the iPhone, Sprint has confirmed it will offer the device with the same unlimited plans as the other handsets in its lineup -- much to the relief of loyal customers hoping to make a belated switch to iOS. But we're betting those of you willing to swap providers are just a little curious as to how the plans stack up. Fortunately, we've crunched the numbers for you, so all you need to do is meet us after the break for that bottom line.
Hands-on with HTC's Amaze 4G for T-Mobile (video)
So how does HTC's Amaze 4G stack up to its European counterpart, the Sensation XE? Pretty well actually. The 4.3-inch qHD smartphone also features Qualcomm's 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU, but bumps the RAM from 768MB to 1GB. It's also HTC's first NFC toting device and joins T-Mobile's Galaxy S II as the other 42Mbps HSPA+ -capable handset on Magenta's network. More noteworthy is its trick eight megapixel shooter, which features the same backside-illuminated sensor, f2.2 wide-angle optics and 1080p video recording capability as the myTouch 4G Slide. Similarly, the Amaze 4G hangs on to quite a bit of that phone's camera software, including a new composite mode that automagically creates one stellar image out of five less than fabulous snapshots. We also liked the addition of two physical camera buttons, one for stills and the other for video. First impressions of the Sense-laden, Gingerbread smartphone? It's very much like a Sensation on steroids, with a definite T-Mobile flavor. Take a look at our gallery and hit the break for our hands-on video from Mobilize 2011. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-134939%
T-Mobile reveals HTC Amaze 4G, flaunts better camera and faster HSPA+
Europe may be enjoying the Sensation XE, but today at Mobilize, T-Mobile's announced that it's getting the exclusive on HTC's Amaze 4G ($259.99 on a two-year contract), while also confirming the hardware whispers we've heard. With its 4.3-inch qHD screen and 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, it's one of the first smartphones able to connect to T-Mobile's upgraded 4G (HSPA+ 42Mbps) network and is the first HTC phone featuring an NFC chip -- something we didn't gather from those early spy-shots, but the manufacturer promised a while ago. Pushing its photography credentials, the Amaze 4G's eight megapixel shooter can record 1080p video, with a dedicated camera button (and even a direct-to-camcorder button) to make the most of the handset's promised "zero shutter lag." Its also got that backlit sensor found in its sibling, the myTouch 4G Slide, so we're expecting admirable low-light performance, too. On the software side, it's running Android 2.3.4, coated in the inevitable Sense veneer and supporting the likes of HTC Watch and T-Mobile TV. Will it be enough to steal the network's king of Android crown away from the Galaxy S II when it ships October 12th? You tell us, as you check the PR after the break. Keep up with our Mobilize 2011 coverage here! %Gallery-134900%
HTC Amaze 4G gets snapped with the lights on, confirms 1.5GHz dual-core CPU
The only images we've seen of the upcoming HTC Ruby Amaze 4G, the high-powered smartphone inbound for T-Mobile, have left us eager for more substance; few pictures show the phone powered on, and even those offer no visual evidence of its rockin' specs. Our thirst for more info about the beast has been slightly more quenched, as Droid Sans snapped some pics of the prototype proudly displayed at a public gathering. From what we can tell by the snapshots, the device's "about" screen confirms the presence of a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch qHD display and an 8MP rear camera (2MP front) with dual-LED flash. The source tells us that it will come shipped with HTC Sense 3.5 running atop Gingerbread, so don't let these photos -- showing off stock Android -- get your hopes up so fast. All in all, though, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S II may have a fierce battle on its hands for the title of T-Mobile's Next Top (smartphone) Model.
HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?
The white shell of the HTC Ruby exudes a "ghostly" quality, which seems to explain its ability to appear and disappear at will. This time the smartphone's popped up in reports highlighting a couple important revelations: according to BGR, the Ruby's slated to become the carrier's flagship and will be looked upon as the Sensation 4G's big brother. We're not so sure about it being a literal statement, since the Ruby is speculated to have the same 4.3-inch display as its sibling, but it'll definitely be more power-packed with a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and HSPA+ radio with connection speeds reaching up to 42Mbps. But that's not all, folks: PocketNow, contributing some gossip of its own, is reporting that the phone will be called the Amaze 4G by T-Mobile, and will also have an 8 megapixel camera with dedicated still and video capture buttons. Now that leaks and reports are starting to pour in this quickly, it may not be too long before the Ruby Amaze 4G completely outrumors the Droid Bionic -- which is not an easy task by any means.
