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Editorial: Carriers, let customers choose their own phones
Remember what the experience of shopping for a gadget was like at big-box stores years ago? Whatever your actual needs were, the store clerks would invariably steer you towards whatever they were getting a commission to sell, or whatever scratched their personal itch. Why would you even go to a store if you knew you would never get an honest answer? The problem was bad enough for Apple in the 1990s, when Macs were often relegated to a dark corner alongside the Ethernet cables, that the company started up its own retail chain. It didn't get better for most of us until outlets like Best Buy backed off and sometimes made it a point to advertise commission-free staff. Today, while it's tough to completely escape personal bias and the occasional exception to the rule, it's more likely than not that a modern general electronics store will give you a decent shot at buying what you really want. But just try buying a cellphone at a carrier store today.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 6th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Sprint began testing its LTE network in Boston and we've come across a QWERTY slider from LG that'll be hitting a convenience store near you. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of August 6th, 2012.
BlackBerry PlayBook 4G LTE hands-on
RIM's attempts to get a cellular-equipped version of the BlackBerry PlayBook have been troubled, to say the least. The company signalled its intentions around Mobile World Congress last February, only to watch as carriers backed off -- partly as RIM focused its attention on LTE, and partly after carriers grew skittish over sales of the WiFi version. A year and a half later, we finally have an LTE version, and with a faster 1.5GHz processor to boot. But do 4G data and a processor bump make all the difference? And does the upgrade stand a realistic shot in a competitive field that has moved on since the original PlayBook? We'll find out in our hands-on. %Gallery-162114%
Samsung Galaxy S III LTE to support VoLTE calls, starting with Korea in August
Aren't you glad you waited to buy an LTE version of the Galaxy S III? Samsung has confirmed that the versions with faster cellular data will support Voice over LTE on appropriately equipped networks, giving them that IP-based boost to call quality. The rollout will start with the Korean LTE model receiving support in August -- we suspect SK Telecom is an early partner here -- followed by a deployment in foreign LTE markets, which would mostly limit the upgrades to American and Canadian owners. About our only qualm is with Samsung's assertion that the update makes the Galaxy S III the "world's first Voice over LTE smartphone:" we're pretty sure the fine folks at LG and MetroPCS have a thing or two to say about keeping up with current events.
Motorola RAZR V goes on sale at Bell, gives Canadians a thin slice of Ice Cream Sandwich
Bell's version of the Motorola RAZR V might not be the media darling that is the Atrix HD, but that shouldn't dampen the interest for Canadians that can at last buy what's potentially a slick deal for an Android 4.0 phone. For $30 on a 3-year contract, or $400 contract-free, the carrier is offering an arguably improved version of the late 2011 RAZR (Droid RAZR for Yankees). Although it bulks up slightly to a third of an inch thick, it's still a skinny, Kevlar-clad wedge. The primary upgrade outside of the OS is a swap-out of that frankly mediocre Super AMOLED screen of the original RAZR smartphone for a much nicer ColorBoost LCD -- sorry, ColourBoost. Otherwise, you're getting the familiar 1.2GHz processor, 14.4Mbps HSPA+ data and 8-megapixel rear camera, although Motorola has shaved the built-in storage to 4GB to keep the costs down. We'd still be tempted to snag the Galaxy Nexus across the aisle to get us a taste of Jelly Bean for the same money, but Canucks with a penchant for Smart Actions now have an option outside of Rogers to get their fix.
Mobile Miscellany: week of July 23rd, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Nokia introduced a custom edition Lumia 610 smartphone and also released its Camera Extras app for global availability. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of July 23rd, 2012.
BlackBerry PlayBook with 4G LTE may reach Bell by July 31st, 1.5GHz chip tagging along for the ride
RIM has been planning a 4G-capable BlackBerry PlayBook for so long that CEO Thorsten Heins' promises of a 2012 launch still made it feel distant. If Bell Canada information breezing past MobileSyrup's desk is any indicator, though, the launch is coming sooner than Heins implied -- just one week away, as of this writing. The slip has at least the one carrier reportedly offering an LTE-equipped, 32GB version of the 7-inch tablet on July 31st at a price of $550 Canadian ($540 US) without a contract. And yes, it would get that rumored 1.5GHz processor upgrade if there's any substance to the story. We'd still prefer to see the tablet jump to BlackBerry 10 more than anything, especially at that kind of price, but the RIM faithful could still find something to cheer if they're looking for a truly definitive PlayBook to make the BB10 wait feel shorter.
Refresh Roundup: week of July 9th, 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!
Motorola Atrix HD now on sale at AT&T: $100 on contract for LTE, 720p and ICS
Well, lookie here. It didn't take long for Motorola's latest Atrix variant to go from unveiled to launched, as the Atrix HD is now on sale at AT&T for a wallet-pleasing $99.99 on contract. Sign the dotted line for two years, and you'll be getting a 4.5-inch Android superphone, complete with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), a true 720p display, Kevlar-infused backing, a "splash resistant" casing and an LTE radio. Those who indulge quickly are set to grab a gratis Vehicle Dock for "a limited time," and you'll also enjoy the first Moto handset to bring the outfit's Circle Widget to the homescreen -- which is engineered to take owners directly to their AT&T account info, displaying data usage, battery status and more. The phone's listed right now in AT&T's smartphone section in Titanium and Modern White, but the link to buy it seems deactivated for the moment. Still, it's all square to go on sale today, so keep a close eye on the source link if you're dead-set on an upgrade. Psst... you can learn more about the Atrix lineage through our original Atrix 4G and Atrix 2 reviews.
Mobile Miscellany: week of July 9th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Motorola debuted the RAZR V in Canada and the Sony Xperia Ion was spotted at Rogers -- curiously, the phone has yet to be formally announced for the carrier. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of July 9th, 2012.
Refresh Roundup: week of July 2nd, 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!
Tim Hortons bringing free WiFi to 90 percent of its locations by September
It's already toyed around with offering free WiFi at a few of its locations, but Tim Hortons has now finally committed to making the service available at most of its restaurants across Canada. That's being done through a partnership with Bell Canada, which Tim Hortons says was selected after a "rigorous six-month testing process," and it looks like the WiFi has already been turned on at quite a few of its locations (you can search for those near you using the store locator on its website). All told, the company expects to roll the service out to more than 90 percent of its restaurants (not including gas stations, kiosks, and the like), or over 2,000 locations, by this September -- a number that Tim Hortons says will make it the largest free WiFi network in Canada.
Refresh Roundup: week of June 25th, 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!
Mobile Miscellany: week of June 25th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Samsung introduced its first Windows Phone for China and both HTC and Samsung each chimed in about Android 4.1 -- the sweet treat better known as Jelly Bean. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 25th, 2012.
Samsung bumps Galaxy S III Canadian launch to June 27th, pins it on 9 million world pre-orders
Canadians who marked June 20th on their calendars as Galaxy S III Day will have to hold off on the festivities for a week, as Samsung has just confirmed that it's shifting the Canadian release to June 27th. As you'd expect, the company is blaming the last-minute swap on "unprecedented demand" -- the nine million worldwide pre-orders that it only anonymously mentioned before now -- and the resultant difficulty in getting enough supply for the magic moment. Any further shortages are still poised to be "short lived," Samsung promises us. The extra wait will no doubt leave us with more than a few crestfallen Canucks; we just hope the shortage doesn't spread and push more US launches into July in the process.
HTC One V reaching Telus on June 8th, completes Canadian trifecta
HTC's One V is invading Canada en masse, having just slipped into Bell and Koodo stores in the past few days. Internal documents slipped out to MobileSyrup would have Telus completing an unintentional troika: it's expected to ship the reborn Legend on June 8th. Pricing looks to be right in the middle of the pack, at $30 in Canuck bucks on a lengthy three-year contract but a still-manageable $290 contract-free. It's not as frugal as the $225 price Koodo asks, but if you're not eager to jump carriers just to get entry-level Android 4.0, there's now an abundance of choices.
Engadget Giveaway: win an HTC One S, courtesy of Bell Canada
The HTC One S has been making a splash across carriers in Canada, so it's only fitting that we ride the wave and give one away to a reader in the true north strong and free. The example we're giving out is Bell Canada's model, which mates the dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and Android 4.0 with Bell-specific extras like Mobile TV. Should you live in the land of the red and white, fire off an entry according to the rules and you might just get HTC's super-skinny smartphone for yourself. Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. Duplicate entries will be filtered out and discarded, so adding additional comments won't increase your likelihood of winning. Contest is open to all residents of Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winners will be chosen randomly. One winner will receive one Bell Canada HTC One S. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Bell Canada service will NOT be included. Also, HTC, Bell and Engadget are not held liable to honor warranties or customer service. The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here. Entries can be submitted until June 3, 2012 at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
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!
Samsung phone lands on the FCC table, GS-three guesses which one
While we're no champions at "pin the tail on the donkey" we're pretty sure we're close to the mark with this one. An FCC report for a new Samsung phone bearing an SGH-I747 model number? Sporting HSPA+ and LTE bands that play nice with AT&T, Rogers, Telus and Bell? While it's not explicit, if this doesn't sound like the GSIII coming to town, we don't know what does. After all, it's not like we didn't know it was on its way.
ASUS Transformer Pad TF300TL hits the FCC with AT&T-friendly LTE
ASUS isn't known for offering its tablets to North American carriers with 3G or 4G; an FCC filing for a cellular-capable Transformer Pad TF300 could be a clue at a break in the WiFi-only trend. Along with the usual wireless, a TF300TL variant of the Android 4.0 slate has stopped by the agency with the 850MHz and 1,900MHz frequencies needed for HSPA 3G as well as, best of all, 700MHz and 1,700MHz support for LTE-based 4G. All four are what we'd look for in an AT&T-oriented tablet, so don't be surprised if Ma Bell carries a 4G Transformer Pad before long. All but the 700MHz band would be handy for Canadian networks as well. There's no surefire evidence of when the tablet might make a more formal appearance, nor hints of whether or not it will keep the quad-core Tegra 3, although the slight spin on the regular TF300 formula could keep the wait short.