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Samsung Rugby Smart officially coming to AT&T March 4 for $100
It was only a matter of time, we suppose. After having seen the Samsung Rugby Smart poke its head out from time to time, Samsung's new rugged smartphone is officially hitting AT&T stores on March 4th. Much like the Pantech Element, the Rugby Smart will be "waterproof," meaning it can be submerged for up to 30 minutes in one meter of water. The phone itself is built to mil-spec 810F standards, so it's going to handle most extreme conditions pretty well. So let's list off the specs we've heard so far: it will launch with Android 2.3 -- shocker, we know -- as well as a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED panel, 4GB of internal storage, 1,650mAh battery and a 1.3MP front-facing shooter for video chat along with a 5MP rear facing autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p video capture. The Smart will also be 12.19mm thick (also not a surprise, given its rugged nature) and weigh 4.2 ounces. We don't know what CPU's inside yet, but we'll update as soon as we find out. To check out all the extreme details, head to the videos and press release under the break.Update: As noted by NJTechReviews, Samsung has confirmed it's a single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 powering this guy.
Samsung Galaxy S Advance snapped in the wild, pricing in tow
Sure, we've read the specs and we've seen the press shots, but we didn't expect to get up close and personal with Samsung's Galaxy S Advance (GT-I9070) until Mobile World Congress later this month. Fortunately, Filipino tech blog TechPinas was able to get a hands-on with the handset -- complete with photos and video. The Gingerbread-packing phone, which looks like a cross between a Galaxy S II (in front) and a Nexus S (complete with curved glass), features a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, a dual-core 1GHz CPU, 768MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a five megapixel AF camera with flash, an HSDPA 14.4Mbps radio and a 1500mAh battery. It's expected to launch the week of February 27th, and according to UK retailer Clove, it's going to cost £295 ($467) plus tax. That's lovely and all, but without the Galaxy S III on the menu let's just hope Samsung's hiding something special up its sleeves for Barcelona. Until then, check out the pictures and video at the source link below.Update: An additional set of photos of the Galaxy S Advance (in silver) just landed in our tip jar, direct from Vietnam.
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD coming to AT&T: 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, LTE, 'razor-thin'
AT&T has just added a new handset to its stable of devices today, introducing the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD at its Developer Summit keynote, here at CES. Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, this "razor-thin" handset boasts a spacious 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 resolution), boasts LTE support, and comes with a removable battery. No word yet on pricing, but AT&T plans to bring it to market within "the coming months." For slightly more details, head past the break for press pics and the full PR.
Huawei Ascend P1 S and P1 hands-on (updated: video)
Huawei went ahead and made its new line of Ascend phones official at this morning's pre-CES event. The Ascend P1 S and P1 are near identical mobile twins, with 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 960 x 540 displays and are separated only by the former's skinnier profile. At 6.68mm, the P1 S is one millimeter thinner and packs a beefier 1800mAh battery, as compared to its sibling's lesser 1670mAh. Both devices will ship with Google's latest Android flagship Ice Cream Sandwich onboard and run atop a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 Cortex A9 with SGX 540 GPU. No pricing or carrier details have been announced, though the pair are set to launch in April of 2012. We had a chance to get some hands-on time with the phones, so follow on after the break for our initial thoughts.
Huawei outs super-thin Ascend P1 S smartphone, raised entirely on fruit and veg (updated: official!)
Huawei has been up to some impressive stuff lately, so we're not totally shocked to see this top-spec phone reveal itself at CES. Perhaps the Ascend P1 S's most surprising attribute is its thickness -- a mere 6.68mm (0.26-inches), which would let it glide past the 7.1mm Droid RAZR with barely a slice in the air. The screen is 4.3-inches along the diagonal, qHD 540 x 960, and -- to HTC's shame -- it claims to be Super AMOLED. There's a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 inside, clocked at 1.5GHz and accompanied by a SGX 540 GPU, which should be plenty sufficient to record 1080p video on the eight megapixel backside-illuminated camera. As if that wasn't enough, the Chinese manufacturer has also taken the raps off an Ascend P1, which does away with the 'S' but packs a chubbier 7.69mm waistline and likely a lower -- though as yet unknown -- price tag. Expect to see both models in the US and elsewhere in Q2, plus some full hands-on treatment on these pages much sooner than that -- as in, hopefully later today. Update: The Huawei P1 S is now official -- you'll find complete PR after the break.
Fujitsu Arrows μ F-07D hands-on (video)
It was only a few short months ago that Fujitsu's F-07D cropped up at the FCC and took a swing at the "world's thinnest" smartphone title. Since that time, the handset's taken on a new name -- the Arrows μ -- and has launched on NTT DoCoMo in Japan. Today at CES Unveiled, we got a chance to get up close and personal with the device which, despite hitting a high water mark for slim profile, doesn't exactly attempt to compete with high-end specs. Instead this Android 4-incher runs Gingerbread atop a single-core Qualcomm MSM8255 processor clocked at 1.4GHz and is complemented by 1GB of RAM, 5.1MP rear camera and 1400mAh battery. So, does it hold up to its slight reputation? Join us after the break as we answer that question and delve deep into our first impressions.
Samsung Captivate Glide review
The QWERTY slider hasn't exactly gone the way of the dinosaur, but it's definitely approaching giant panda status. That is to say, it's become rare for a major device manufacturer to output anything other than candybar touchscreen smartphones. And why not? Slimmer, faster, beastlier is the mobile motto as of late and that's precisely what consumers seem to gravitate towards. But for diehard fans of tactile feedback, Samsung's birthed the Captivate Glide, a handset that marries the best of both form factors. Sitting just below its high-end brethren, Sammy's 4-incher runs along AT&T's 21Mbps HSPA+ network and bundles an 800 x 480 Super AMOLED display with a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 1,650mAh battery, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1.3MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear camera capable of 720p video capture. At $150 on a two-year contract, it's just half a Benjamin short of the top-tier, LTE-capable HTC Vivid. With that small of a price divide, you have to wonder: is the downgrade really worth it for the Captivate Glide's (comparatively) slower speeds and physical buttons? Are you willing to trade-in thin and sleek for messaging convenience and a bit of bulk? Follow on past the break as we deliver the answers to those burning questions. %Gallery-142058%
Verizon Galaxy Nexus review
It's the Galaxy Nexus. It has LTE. It's the phone we've been waiting (and waiting) for. Sure, some of our more globe-trotting members of the staff were suitably sated by the HSPA+ version that shipped a few weeks ago, but the rest of us domestic types simply need more bandwidth. Or, at least, we like to think that we do, and this $300 (on-contract) Verizon release certainly has that in spades.However, there's something missing: Google Wallet. That company's attempt at reinventing commerce isn't here and, while nobody's saying for sure, it surely has something to do with Verizon not wanting to kneecap the Isis payment service it has invested in. That leaves us wondering: with restrictions on what apps can be installed, and some rather prominent carrier branding on the back, is this really a Nexus device at all? And, more importantly, is it a good phone? Those answers and more wait for you below.%Gallery-142006%
Galaxy Nexus for Verizon LTE unboxing and speed test (video)
After weeks of waiting, rumoured launches and even a few accidental sales, the elusive Verizon Wireless Galaxy Nexus is finally here. We dropped by a New York City retail store to try out Google's first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone in the flesh, before bringing one home for a proper unboxing and LTE performance test. As expected, the production version that we finally got our hands on today is virtually identical to the sample that popped up at the Samsung Experience earlier this month, but with one major exception: there's a Micro SIM installed, letting us try out core functionality, such as placing phone calls and accessing data without a WiFi network in range.The Verizon Nexus arrived with Android 4.0.1 pre-installed, but prompted us to update to 4.0.2 just a few minutes after we added a Google account. It is noticeably thicker and heavier than its HSPA+ counterpart, but this thing is fast when it comes to transfer speeds -- not quite as speedy as we've seen with some LTE devices on AT&T's budding 4G network, but it's definitely in line with competing handsets from Verizon, and the MiFi we used for a comparison speed test. Our salesperson wasn't willing to let us leave without first confirming that the phone was in fact working, so he had the honor of first peeling back the phone's plastic cover. Ready to check it out? Roll up your sleeves and join us after the break for our unboxing and speed test.%Gallery-141918%%Gallery-141932%
Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon LTE hands-on (video)
New Yorkers got a sneak peek at the Verizon LTE flavor of the Galaxy Nexus at the Samsung Experience in Columbus Circle today, and we dropped by to spend a few minutes with the Ice Cream Sandwich handset in the Manhattan showroom. Samsung had just four pre-production Nexus models on hand, which were running Android 4.0.1 -- not the final 4.1 version we're expecting to see shortly, with a baseband update in tow. None of the samples included SIM cards, so we were only able to test them using the built-in WiFi module. A security alarm sounded when we attempted to remove the back cover to install a SIM, though the battery was also superglued in place, further inhibiting our access.We did take the unit for a speed test spin using our Verizon LTE MiFi, and achieved download speeds ranging from 5000-7000kbps and upload speeds of 300-2000kbps when connected to LTE over WiFi. These results don't represent what you'll see with the built-in module, but considering there was no way to get these running on the Verizon network, connectivity was limited to the MiFi and in-house WiFi. Still, this is your best shot at getting your hands on a device ahead of Verizon's official launch, so if you happen to be anywhere near NYC, head on down to the Samsung Experience to get your Nexus fix. Or hop past the break for our hands-on video.%Gallery-140993%
Samsung Wave 3 crashes onto French shores
Samsung's new Bada flagship has just docked into our illustrative French port. Announced back in the summer, the Wave 3 arrives on the refreshed Bada 2.0 OS, powered by a 1.4GHz processor and packing a four-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED display. Storage matches the watery iteration, with 3GB of memory baked-in, with expansion possible through microSD. Meanwhile, an auto-focus five megapixel shooter will do its best to fill all that space. Not content with France (where Bada-powered handsets have established a niche fanbase), the HSPA-connected smartphone is also penned to hit Germany, Russia and Italy before the end of the year.
Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ review
Every now and then a device comes along that we really look forward to getting our hands on. Google's line of Nexus smartphones falls into this category, setting the new standard for Android each year.
Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ first impressions (video)
Wow... The Galaxy Nexus. It's finally here, in our eager little hands, and it's delicious -- just like Ice Cream Sandwich, in fact. Our review unit is the same unlocked HSPA+ version we briefly played with in Hong Kong and is running Android 4.0.1. We've only spent about a day with Google's newest superphone and we're already hard at work on a full review, but we wanted to share some raw, immediate, first impressions -- after the break. %Gallery-139724%
Droid RAZR's CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA variants teased in China, the latter with 720p display
Chinese mobile customers face a similar dilemma as their American counterparts: they have to choose either China Unicom's WCDMA network, China Telecom's CDMA2000 network or China Mobile's more obscure TD-SCDMA offering. Needless to say, this can be a real headache for phone fanatics stuck on a carrier that doesn't support their desired devices, unless they don't mind surfing the web on 2G radio (if compatible at all). Luckily, nowadays Motorola tends to take good care of all potential Chinese customers whenever it rolls out a new Android phone, including the Droid RAZR (aka XT910, pictured right) in this case. Read on to find out what these two new phones are about. %Gallery-139260%
Samsung Galaxy Note review
Remember the display on your first mobile phone? If you've been chatting on the go for as long as we have, it was probably barely big enough to fit a complete telephone number -- let alone a contact name or text message. And your first smartphone? Even displaying scaled-down, WAP versions of web pages was asking a lot. Now, those mobile devices we couldn't live without have screens that are much, much larger. Sometimes, though, we secretly wish they were even bigger still. Samsung releases 1.5GHz Exynos processor and 16MP CMOS for mobiles, if you're nice Samsung's Galaxy S II for T-Mobile proves that unicorns do exist (hands-on video) Samsung Galaxy Note announced: 5.3-inch display, built-in-stylus, custom 'S Pen' appsSamsung's new GT-N7000 Galaxy Note is the handset those dreams are made of -- if you happen to share that dream about obnoxiously large smartphones, that is. It's as thin as a Galaxy S II, lightning fast and its 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display is as gorgeous as it is enormous; the 1280 x 800 pixels you once could only get with a full-size laptop (or in the Galaxy Tab 10.1) can now slide comfortably into your front pocket. Its jumbo display makes it the perfect candidate for a notepad replacement and, with the included S Pen stylus, you'll have no problem jotting notes on the fly, marking up screenshots or signing documents electronically. But, is that massive display too much of a good thing? You'll need to jump past the break to find out.%Gallery-137768% %Gallery-137793%
The Galaxy Nexus' Super AMOLED display is a minus, not a Plus
For all the buzz around Samsung's latest hi-def smartphone, the absence of one little word has largely been glossed over. That word is "Plus" -- the wizened Galaxy S II has a "Super AMOLED Plus" display, for example, whereas the sparkly Galaxy Nexus is merely "Super AMOLED." Did the marketeers simply forget those extra hyperbolic keystrokes, or does the difference actually mean something?Well, regrettably, it does. Samsung uses "Plus" to refer to full RGB displays, in which each pixel possesses its own trio of red, green and blue sub-pixels. Meanwhile, a non-Plus display uses a cheaper PenTile system -- which forces pixels to share each other's sub-pixels. Aside from potential hygiene issues, this results in a lower overall sub-pixel density, reduced sharpness and worse color rendition. We saw the difference clearly enough when Engadget Spanish microscopically compared the original non-Plus Galaxy S against the GS II, and now the folks at FlatPanelsHD have undertaken a more up-to-date comparison at the source link. The upshot? They calculated that, despite its 4.65-inch screen size, the Galaxy Nexus has the same number of sub-pixels as the 3.5-inch iPhone 4/4S. Think of a word with no r, g or b in it, and you eventually arrive at "disappointed."Update: We just added AnandTech's analysis at the More Coverage link. They point out that if you like the pixel density on the GS II, you should be happy with that on the Galaxy Nexus -- although they don't address color rendition.[Thanks, Mauro]
Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. Droid RAZR by Motorola: the tale of the tape
Well folks, the wait is over. Now you can push the rumors, early introductions and other pre-announcement ramblings aside and focus on the real matter at hand: which of these shiny new handsets will you buy? Will it be the Galaxy Nexus or the Droid RAZR? Let us offer some insight into the matter as we dive head-first into the specs below.
Motorola Spyder to be introduced on October 18, keeps its clothes on in video tease
Well, well. It looks like Motorola and Verizon Wireless are about ready to unveil something big. Something faster, thinner, smarter and stronger, to be precise. While that invite up there hints rather coyly at a new handset, a little digging confirmed this is, indeed, the LTE-packing Motorola Spyder, whose first-of-its-kind 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 qHD Super AMOLED display surfaced in leak shots last month. How do we know? Well, when we opened the invite in our browser and saved the image to our desktop, we noticed Moto's own PR team had labeled the photo "spyderlaunchinvite." So that's what we're betting on seeing that day, though it's less clear if it'll bear the name Spyder or Droid RAZR, as rumored (that familiar red light in the photo suggests it might well be part of the Droid family). And who knows what else the two companies have in store? The Atrix 2, perhaps? The Xoom 2? The Xoom 2 Media Edition? The Xoom Family Edition?! We'll find out at the event next week, where we'll be liveblogging, giving you the blow-by-blow. Until then, peep the video after the break if you're down for parsing a 35-second teaser.
Samsung's Omnia W: Mango, 3.7-inch Super AMOLED, 1.4GHZ processor
Samsung just took the wraps off its Omnia W, which looks like a non-US variant of the Focus Flash we've already heard about via AT&T. The handset will debut in Italy and start spreading across the Old World and Latin America from next month. It'll sport Windows Phone 7.5 out of the box, a 3.7-inch 800x480 Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor, VGA webcam on the front and rear 5MP shooter with 720p video recording. We expect it'll go head-to-head with HTC's 3.8-inch Radar when the War of the Mangoes finally kicks off. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] %Gallery-134850%
Motorola LTE handset emerges with qHD Super AMOLED display, questionable identity
Well, what do we have here? According to "trusted sources" over at This Is My Next it's a Motorola Spyder, or a Droid RAZR, or maybe even the Droid HD we peeped back in August. Whatever the name, the phone is apparently packing a first-of-its-kind 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 qHD super AMOLED display. The rumored LTE handset also supposedly contains a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel, 1080p rear-facing camera and HD front-facing camera, and is apparently outfitted in Gorilla Glass and Kevlar. TIMN is also boasting exclusive new details for the recently outed Atrix 2. It seems the name is confirmed as well as a handful of previously identified specs. What's more, the phone's got a couple of accessories on board, including a laptop dock called the Lapdock 100, also rumored to play nice with the Spyder, or RAZR, or HD. More images of both devices await you at the source links below.
