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Samsung ATIV Odyssey now available on US Cellular for $50 after rebate
The obscure ZTE Render's had its fair share of good times as US Cellular's Windows Phone, but the carrier's now ready to add its first WP8 device to the lineup: the Samsung ATIV Odyssey. The smartphone, which has been available on Verizon for several months, finally launches online today and in stores this Thursday for $50 on contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. The device offers a WVGA display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage with microSD expansion, NFC, a 2,100mAh battery and 5MP rear camera with 1.2MP front-facing cam.
ATIV Odyssey for US Cellular leaked in promo materials
US Cellular's been promising a WP8 handset for quite some time now, and it looks like the company's about to deliver exactly that. As you might recall, US Cellular's last Windows Phone offering was the entry-level ZTE Render which ran WP7.5 (Tango). We recently obtained promo materials for an ATIV Odyssey with US Cellular branding. This mid-range Samsung device, which is currently available on Verizon, packs a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage (with microSD expansion), LTE and NFC support, plus a five-megapixel autofocus camera with flash. While none of this is official (yet), we fully expect US Cellular to make a proper announcement real soon now. Until then, check out the gallery below for some of the aforementioned promo material. %Gallery-189972% [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
The Daily Roundup for 02.04.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey review: a budget WP8 phone that performs like a flagship
The Windows Phone 8 deluge is slowly starting to taper off. HTC and Nokia have made their presence known with loud, bold statements and even Huawei has gotten in on the action. Meanwhile Samsung has already blessed the market with its flagship ATIV S, a respectable rehash of the Galaxy S III with a Microsoft soul. Nokia and HTC even have their respective mid-range models on the market. Which leaves just one slot to be filled: a budget offering from Sammy. With the debut of the ATIV Odyssey it's safe to assume that the Windows Phone landscape won't be changing too dramatically in the immediate future. (Of course, Mobile World Congress could make a liar out of us in short order.) The ATIV S simply doesn't have the pomp and flash (though, it has the guts) to run with the Lumia 920 and HTC 8X. But in the mid-range, where gimmicks and style often take a backseat to functionality, perhaps Samsung can carve out a space for itself among the Redmond faithful? Last year's Focus 2 and 2011's Focus Flash struck a winning combination of price and functionality by offering comparable specs to their higher-end competitors. Just over a year later, the question is whether that's still a winning combination in a market that's significantly broadened its horizons.
ATIV Odyssey hitting Verizon January 24th for $50
We knew it was coming and, with very little warning, it's practically here. Samsung's 4-inch, budget Windows Phone 8 offering -- the ATIV Odyssey -- is hitting store shelves and Verizon airwaves on Thursday January 24th for $49.99. Well, with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail in rebate, that is. So you'll have to shell out $100 up front -- a price that will likely become semi-permanent when the promotional period ends. While the WVGA screen and dual-core 1.5GHz processor may turn off the spec-obsessed, we're sure its low price, LTE radio and pretty little tiles will win over at least a few shoppers. If you need a quick refresher on this guy's deets check out the PR after the break.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey for Verizon hands-on (update: video)
The Samsung ATIV Odyssey bound for Verizon has been a known device ever since Windows Phone 8 was launched, but at the time of its announcement we were told that we could expect it in December. The month came and went, and today we were informed that the new smartphone is now going to be hitting the market in "the coming weeks." Fortunately we finally got some face time with the phone tonight, and it's about as forgettable as we expected. This doesn't mean it's a terrible device -- we'll reserve judgment until its official review when it comes -- it just doesn't have the crazy flagship-type specs we would like to see. It's packing a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM, 4-inch WVGA display, dual-band Wifi a/b/g/n, 8GB internal storage, a 5MP rear camera and 1.2MP front-facing cam. It also sports a removable 2,100mAh battery and microSD slot capable of supporting cards up to 64GB. Our thoughts? For anyone accustomed to larger devices, the first thing you'll notice is how tiny it looks and feels. It's definitely on the light side, and our hands wrapped around the phone quite easily. This gives it a little much-needed grip since the hyperglazed, semi-glossy back is completely smooth. (It can also easily attract fingerprints.) The camera and LED flash are side-by-side, with the large Verizon logo directly below. Near the bottom you'll see the ATIV-style grille (similar to what we saw on the ATIV S), with a 3.5mm headphone jack on top, micro-USB on bottom, power and hardware shutter buttons on right and volume rocker and microSD slot on the left. While we wait for the phone to hit shelves in the near future, head below to sneak a peek at some photos of the Odyssey. Update: You can catch a video of our brief stint with the phone after the jump! Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub. Alexis Santos contributed to this post.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey Windows Phone 8 leaked with Verizon branding
Federal filings aside, what we're staring at here is the first look at Samsung's initial US-bound Windows Phone 8. The ATIV Odyssey's certainly not going to be confused for the Galaxy S III ATIV S we've already taken for a test drive, and while there's not much to compare this early leaked render with, it appears to be a slightly chunky 4G smartphone that'll be heading to Verizon this December. Samsung's not letting us peek at the spec sheet just yet and presumably Big Red's still busy with other things at the moment, but we'll let you know more when we hear it.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey for Verizon possibly spied at the FCC
When Microsoft teased that Verizon would carry the Samsung ATIV Odyssey, it left just about everything to the imagination -- we didn't even see a real image. A new FCC filing may have given us a better (if all too incomplete) look. The device getting approval at the US agency doesn't have any dead giveaways in its hardware beyond a vaguely ATIV S-like shape and Verizon's needed CDMA and LTE frequencies, but it's going under an SCH-i930 model name that hints at possible Windows Phone 8-based origins: the SCH-i920 was the CDMA edition of the Omnia II, one of the last times Microsoft, Samsung and Verizon hung out together. If the i930 is what we suspect, the FCC will have just removed a key obstacle to the ATIV Odyssey's promised December launch.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey brings even more Windows Phone 8 to Verizon this December
Microsoft's ultimate Windows Phone 8 event mostly expanded on a familiar story, but it did leave us a surprise twist near the end. The company confirmed that Samsung will bring its own Metro-tinged experience to Verizon through the ATIV Odyssey this December. Unfortunately, that's about all we know on an official level: Microsoft even used a placeholder graphic rather than show Samsung's real-world design. However, that awfully familiar-sounding name suggests that Samsung and Verizon are directly exploiting that Odyssey codename which many associated with the ATIV S. If so, we're looking at a device that's not at all far off from a GSM equivalent, keeping the Snapdragon S4, LTE and both 8- as well as 2-megapixel cameras. Whether or not the Super AMOLED screen dips to a slightly lower 4.65-inch isn't as known. Even so, the ATIV Odyssey is at least another sign that Verizon will have much more than a token Windows Phone lineup this time around. For more, check out our Windows Phone 8 event liveblog!
