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Apple's March 7th event roundup: the new iPad, Apple TV refresh and everything else
Weren't able to keep up with all the news from the unveiling of Apple's new iPad today? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Whether you're looking for more info about its Retina Display and LTE-connectivity, the refreshed Apple TV or related bits, we've listed links to our coverage of everything "new and noteworthy" after the break. Happy perusing! Oh, and be sure to check back to our the archive of our liveblog and pre- and post-event broadcasts for a few extra doses of "amazing."
New iPad has 'world ready' 3G, LTE for Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T
At Apple's ongoing press conference, the company has just revealed its new retina display-equipped iPad will feature high speed LTE connections on Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T networks, as well as 3G that works around the world. It brings "the most bands ever", but it looks like we'll still be looking at separate devices that work with either Verizon and AT&T, but not both. Besides the 3.1Mbps EV-DO and 7.2Mbps HSPA that were on the iPad 2, the new slates add 21Mbps HSPA+, 42Mbps DC-HSDPA and 73Mbps LTE connections. Not sure you need that speed on your tablet? Maybe your other devices will appreciate it, since these also have personal hotspot functionality built-in.For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!
Canada welcomes the Galaxy Note, available on Bell and Telus for $199 today (video)
Boom. Just as promised, the large beast that is Samsung's don't-call-it-a-tablet handset has hit available status in the Land of the Maple Leaf. Canadian carriers Bell and Telus have the Galaxy Note up for grabs now on their respective sites at the cost of $199 with a whopping three-year contract, while anything's yet to pop up on Rogers' page (we'll let you know as soon as it does). The launch comes a few days ahead of its expected release on US shores, where it'll require less of a commitment but carry a heavier price tag. Still pondering if the galactic 5.3-inch device is the right fit for you? Give our review one last glance before you decide to make the enormous jump.
Refresh Roundup: week of February 6th, 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 Galaxy Note coming to Bell, Rogers and Telus in February
Those of you who seem to be more closely connected to the Maple Leaf than the pine needle might've jumped on the envious side at the news that folks across the border are getting their hands on the LTE Galaxy Note. Envy no more. Via blog post, Rogers has announced that Samsung's "phablet" creation will be surfing through its fresh 4G waves in the upcoming month. Aside from the Rogers branding we expect to see, it'll be hard to distinguish this Note from its AT&T brother, as it'll be identical in the specs department. Based on a page thrown up at Best Buy Canada, it looks as if it'll sell for $249.99 on a three-year contract (with Bell and Telus getting in on the fun, too), with the first of 'em shipping out on Valentine's Day. Desperate to be the first to try and fit this in your pocket? Head on to the source to join the carrier's reservation system.
AT&T unearths Jim Henson's 1963 Robot short for Bell
AT&T has released some real gems from its videos archives over the past year, but it's truly outdone itself this week. It's dug up a rarely-seen short film titled Robot that Jim Henson made for Bell in 1963, which was intended to explain computers and data communications to business owners at "elite seminars." It does so with phrases like "Correction: the machine does not have a soul. It has no bothersome emotions. While mere mortals wallow in a sea of emotionalism, the machine is busy digesting vast oceans of information in a single, all-encompassing gulp." Enjoy.
Telus launching Samsung Galaxy Nexus January 13th
Telus does a me too and follows Bell to market with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Starting tomorrow, January 13th, Telusites can grab Google's newest pure Android dev. set for a cool $99.99 on a 3-year contract, $549.99 for 2-years, $599.99 for one and $649.99 off-contract. In case you've been away from civilization for the last little while and missed what this set is all about, feel free to check the facts and figures followed by our review. Update: The Galaxy Nexus just popped up on Telus' site for an introductory price of $99 on a 3-year deal. The sale starts today and carries on until the 26th of Jan. Happy days!
Samsung Galaxy Note to ring Canada's Bell? The Android Market says so
Sammy's not a phone, not yet a tablet Galaxy Note has been stirring up its own excitement pre-CES, with certain accessory partners inadvertently slipping news of an AT&T bow. While we've just gotten confirmation that its US debut will indeed pan out, it appears our neighbors to the north might also be getting their maple-soaked mitts on this stylus-equipped monster. As you can see in the Android Market screenshot above, an unlocked version of the handset is denoted (hardy har!) as the Bell Samsung GT-N7000. Does this herald an impending device announcement for the network? Hard to tell, as it could all very well just be a simple system error. But with the recent expansion of that Canadian carrier's 4G footprint, the Note would undoubtedly make for a very attractive LTE lure. [Thanks, Ramen]
Bell Mobility hints at Ice Cream Sandwich release dates for Galaxy S II, Raider and Sensation
We've come across an internal document from Bell Mobility that's bound to raise the hopes of a few good Canadians. Yes folks, we're talking Ice Cream Sandwich. The carrier to the north estimates that it'll have Android 4.0 ready for the Sensation in February, which is to be followed by the Raider's update in March -- this handset may be more familiar to AT&T customers as the Vivid. Pulling up the rear, users of the Galaxy S II are to expect the upgrade in April, and while the Optimus LTE is also mentioned, there's no specific time frame for that one. Certainly estimated release dates don't always come to fruition, but at least we know what Bell's aiming for, anyway.
Galaxy Nexus available now on Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada for $160 on contract
Call out the Royal Canadian Mounted Police guard, the Galaxy Nexus is ready to grace the northest of North American mitts. That Ice Cream Sandwich flagship is now up for order on Bell and Virgin Mobile at $160 with a three-year commitment and $650 for the contract-averse. We've already crowned this Google/Sammy lovechild as king of the Android heap, but of course the real litmus test is whether or not it wins over your hard-earned dollars. If you need a refresher (or an extra persuasive boost), you can check out our exhaustive software review. Otherwise, we'd advise you unlace those hockey skates, set those curling rocks aside and hit up the source with your credit cards at the ready.
Galaxy Nexus coming to Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada December 8th, pre-orders begin today
Time to start whoopin' and hollerin', Canada -- not only do you have a date with the Galaxy Nexus on December 8th, you can begin pre-ordering it on Bell and Virgin Mobile today. Getting your phone ordered early ensures that you can have the $160 handset (after a three-year commitment, of course) shipped out "as soon as it's available," but it doesn't necessarily guarantee your brand new treasure will show up on launch day. Bell's got a promo going on that we don't recall having seen before: a Twitter line-up. The idea is to sign up on the site on December 1st between 10am and 11am (EST), claim a spot in the virtual line and you'll be given a message to send on Twitter. Then, return to the site once an hour until 10pm and tweet out the latest message. If you remain in the top 100 when all is said and done, your Galaxy Nexus will be guaranteed to arrive on the 8th. 'Course, given the amount of interest circulating around the phone, it's probably best if you're on the site ready to get your Tweet at 9:59am. Check out the press release for the deets.
Galaxy Nexus headed to Bell and Virgin Mobile in Canada, Three in the UK (update: Rogers too)
We expect there will be more to come, but you can now officially add at least three more carriers to the list confirmed to be offering the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Those include Bell and Virgin Mobile in Canada, and Three in the UK, which joins O2 as a confirmed carrier for the flagship Ice Cream Sandwich phone across the pond. The two Canadian carriers aren't offering a firm release date or pricing details just yet -- though they're happy to take your email address and keep you posted -- but Three lists an off-contract price of £499.99 (or just under $800) and is promising "earliest delivery" by November 18th. Update: You can now add one more to that list -- Rogers has confirmed on Twitter that it will be offering the Galaxy Nexus in January. Reservations start tomorrow. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Bell confirms arrival of LG Optimus LTE, hasn't settled on a name
It's official: LG's new LTE-capable superphone is coming to Canada. Bell is running a Twitter competition to celebrate, and the Ts and Cs suggest that Canucks might have to dig deep into those winter coat pockets for a total of CAD $629 off-contract. The Optimus LTE has already been given a detailed video tour courtesy of Bell's retail arm, albeit under the guise of the Optimus Eye, and is keen to show off its 4.5-inch HD AH-IPS display, eight megapixel camera and 1.5GHz dual-core processor. 4G fans can toss their name into the hat at the sign-up page below and spare a thought for their southerly neighbors -- we still have no sniff of a release in the US.
HTC Raider 4G LTE available on Rogers today, Bell's version coming soon
Now that both Rogers and Bell have alive and kickin' LTE networks, it's high time we see a full lineup on them, right? HTC's doing its part, at least, by offering the Raider 4G LTE (aka Holiday), a device we've seen announced in Korea and Australia so far. Curiously, Rogers lists the device as having a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, a downtick from its Asian counterpart, though everything else appears to be the same: it offers a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, a full gigabyte of RAM, an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 1080p video capture, a 1.3MP front-facing cam for video chat and runs with Android 2.3.4 and HTC Sense 3.0 installed. Rogers will be the first in Canada to get the phone out the door, since it's available in stores and online today for $150 with a three-year commitment, whereas Bell has it listed as "coming soon" on its official site with no actual pricing indicated (MobileSyrup says it will likely be sold for $170). If your heart goes pitter-patter for this Raider, go ahead and pick one up -- just keep in mind that the lost ark is not included.
Motorola Pro+ 4G rides into Canada November 7th, will kick off shoes and stay a while
We knew it was planning to grace Europe and Asia with its presence this month, but now we're hearing the Motorola Pro+ 4G is ready to make its North American debut at Bell Canada. We're not seeing any large differences here compared to the overseas model, though the addition of "4G" to the title is an obvious exception. The device offers a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, Android 2.3, a 5MP camera, 3.1-inch VGA (640 x 480) display with Gorilla Glass, HSPA 14.4 (hence the "4G" name) and a lot of Enterprise-friendly security features. We know it'll be hitting shelves on November 7th, but no price has been announced so far. To find out the full shebang, head south for the press release. Update: We've confirmed with an inside source that it'll sell for $349.95, but there's no word on whether subsidies will apply for long-term contracts.
LG Optimus Eye: LTE smartphone renamed with a view to landing in Canada
LG's biggest, fastest phone to date, previously known as the Optimus LTE, has made its first landing outside of Korea. In a not-so-thinly-veiled reference to the retina display-beating resolution density, it's now answering to the name, Optimus Eye. The smartphone's been leaked in a preview video from The Source, a Canadian retailer which is owned by Bell -- who'll evidently be making the phone available on their network. We also get to see LG's latest AH-IPS display technology in action, alongside a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and the increasingly standard eight megapixel shooter. No whisperings just yet on pricing or a launch date, but we'd expect these top-drawer specifications to be matched with an appropriately top-drawer price tag when it does arrive. You can eye it up for yourself after the break.
White Galaxy S II gets not-so-festive October launch in Canada
Smartphone obsessives in Canada will be getting their hands on some snowy Galaxy S II goodness sooner rather than later. Yes, Samsung's dual-core bestseller has been leaked with an October 7th launch date on Bell, with prices matching the dark original: CAD$599.95 off-contract or CAD$149.95 for three years. And we know all phones look better in white, right?
Novatel U679 Turbo Stick delivers 4G LTE to Bell laptop customers for $60, with 3-year contract
Do you live in one of Bell's LTE markets and own a laptop? Do you wish your machine could hitch a ride on the Canadian carrier's 4G waves? Well sir or ma'am, may we submit for your consideration, the Novatel U679 Turbo Stick -- an LTE USB modem that can hit a maximum speed of 75Mbps. (Though, generally you're looking at between 7Mbps and 14Mbps.) When LTE is unavailable, the U679 falls back on 42Mbps, dual-carrier HSPA+ or plain ol' 21Mbps HSPA+. You can pick one up today for just $60 with a three-year contract, but those with a fear of commitment will have to plunk down $120 to avoid being locked into a service contract. If you've still got questions, might we suggest peeping the PR after the break.
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 19, 2011: Opera Software, builder of the popular mobile browser, announced it was acquiring Handster, an app store platform that supports Android, WP7, BlackBerry, and Symbian. [TechCrunch] Samsung unveiled three new HSDPA feature phones destined for India: the Champ 3.5G (S3770), Primo (S5610) and Chat 527 (S5270). [UnwiredView and SammyHub] A leaked image indicates the HTC Hero S will be coming to US Cellular in the near future. The device appears to be the Kingdom, and is expected to feature a 1.2GHz single-core Qualcomm CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 4-inch qHD display and Gingerbread. [PocketNow] Speaking of US Cellular, the Motorola Electrify officially became available for purchase online this week (expected in stores on September 26th), and can be yours for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate. [AndroidCentral] Wirefly accidentally outed press renders of the Samsung Stratosphere -- on the retailer's Pantech Breakout page. The images have since been removed. [OwenJohnston] A white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is making the rounds in the UK, but we learned this week that Bell Canada will be launching it well before the holidays. Interestingly, the device in the image (seen above) has retained the international version's three-button layout. [MobileSyrup] Among the barrage of new phones Sprint's releasing on October 2nd is the BlackBerry Curve 9350, according to another leaked employee memo. The price will likely be $80 after a $50 mail-in rebate. [CrackBerry] T-Mobile MVNO Simple Mobile announced a new unlimited prepaid plan for BlackBerry devices for $60 / month, which includes access to T-Mo's HSPA+ network. [N4BB] Huawei appears to have outed press images of the Honor, which is said to have a 4-inch FWVGA LCD, Gingerbread, 1.4GHz CPU (no specifics known yet), and an 8MP rear camera accompanied by a front-facing cam (again, no details on the resolution here). [EuroDroid] A member of the iPhone Dev Team has released a new version of Redsn0w, its popular iOS jailbreaking software, known as 0.9.9b1. Check the link to get the full list of new features. [Technobolt]
Bell begins rolling out LTE network today to trial markets
When we reported that Bell's LTE network would be deploying "soon," the company happily obliged by launching it less than two weeks later. Beginning today, the Canadian carrier will have its next-gen services available to a limited number of markets, including Toronto, Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph and Mississauga. The deployment will spread over the course of the next year, though no specific plans were mentioned aside from the obvious expansion to urban areas first, followed by rural and remote coverage as determined by the outcome of the country's upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. Sadly, the only device available at launch -- contrary to our original report -- will be the Sierra Wireless U313 Turbo Stick, available online today for $80, though "smartphones and tablets" should be expected to arrive later this year. Head to the presser for more details. [Thanks, gjac0m]
