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Samsung Galaxy S 4 heads to AT&T for $250 on contract, pre-orders begin April 16th
Just two days ago, T-Mobile's potty-mouthed CEO John Legere gave us a tentative May 1st launch date for Samsung's Galaxy S 4 on that network. And now, AT&T's making its S 4 plans public, opening up pre-orders for the device on April 16th. Subscribers that sign-up for a two-year plan will be able to snag the 5-inch 1080p GS 4 for $250. As to when it'll actually ship, well, that bit's still up in the air and we expect AT&T to elaborate in the weeks to come. But you can bet it won't be long before Samsung rushes to get its next big Galaxy thing into eager hands.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 hits the FCC in MetroPCS and Sprint forms
Get ready for a small deluge of Galaxy S 4 filings at the FCC in the near future. Just a couple of weeks after Samsung's flagship hit the US agency in its international guise, we're now seeing the first US editions of the smartphone receive approval, starting with both MetroPCS (SCH-R970) and Sprint (SPH-L720) examples. Either has CDMA, EV-DO and LTE, although there's variances you'll want to watch for if you're free to choose between carriers: the Sprint version has HSPA 3G for world roaming, while the MetroPCS model drops HSPA but has a broad four bands of LTE meant mostly to support other mid-size American networks, like US Cellular. We still have AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to go among the bigger US providers supporting the GS4, although it's just a matter of time before their models make FCC appearances.
T-Mobile's UnCarrier event roundup
The news (and the choice language) was hurled out at a rapid pace during today's T-Mobile UnCarrier event. In case you missed any of the proceedings, we've got you covered with a full rundown just past the break. From the initial LTE markets to handset launches and details surrounding Big Magenta's phone plans, all of the particulars on what the carrier looks to "unleash" are here for your perusal.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 expected to launch on T-Mobile on May 1st
Here at T-Mobile's "UnCarrier" press conference, we've heard loads of pricing and availability details for the company's new LTE-enabled handsets. Well, here's one more tidbit: the Galaxy S4 is expected to hit T-Mo on May 1st. If that sounds like soft, tentative language on our part, it's because the carrier said the phone will arrive "about May 1st," so it's possible it could arrive, you know, on May 3rd instead. That said, it's coming, and soon. As for pricing, nothing's been confirmed, but we already know T-Mobile's other LTE phones (the iPhone 5, HTC One, etc.) will go for $100 plus monthly payments of $20 for two years, so we wouldn't be surprised if the same were true here.
CyanogenMod founder leaves Samsung, praises the Galaxy S 4 on his way out
Less than two years after the CyanogenMod founder was scooped up by Samsung to improve Android's veneer, Steve Kondik has decided to depart for greener pastures. In a Google Plus posting, the software engineer shared his mostly positive impressions for Samsung's Galaxy S 4, casually mentioning that he'd departed the Korean behemoth's embrace. The one thing that came in for a bashing was TouchWiz's updated UI, that he says "feels like it has been sent back a few years in time to the Froyo days." Responding to a comment, Mr. Kondik said that nothing in particular had prompted his departure beyond a desire to "do something new," but given the man's pedigree, we can only assume it'll be somehow related to the little green droid that could. [Image credit: Erica Joy]
The Daily Roundup for 03.22.2013
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.
LG suspects Samsung of infringing its eye-tracking patents with the Galaxy S 4
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 isn't even available yet, but already it's being eyed for possible patent infringement. According to a report from Korea's Yonhap News, LG suspects the S 4 might violate eye-tracking patents used in the Optimus G Pro. At the crux of this squabble is Samsung's Smart Pause feature, which LG finds similar to its Smart Video technology. Chiefly, LG is focusing on a patent it applied for in 2009, though the company also plans to investigate whether Samsung infringed other eye-tracking patents dating back to 2005. So far, of course, Samsung has denied any wrongdoing, saying its eye-tracking tech is implemented differently and is based on proprietary technology. Given that the phone isn't even out yet, we'll leave it to LG to do its due diligence before accusing Samsung in court.
The Weekly Roundup for 03.11.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
HP and Samsung offer setup-free printing on the Galaxy S 4, with others to follow
As ubiquitous as wireless printing has become, there remains the occasional hoop to jump through for printing from mobile devices if you don't happen to have either a special app or iOS gear that supports AirPrint. HP and Samsung are teaming up to remove many of the headaches for the Galaxy S 4: when the phone launches in April, it should have setup-free WiFi printing to almost 200 HP inkjets and LaserJets, as long as any given printer is either on the same network or is otherwise accessible through direct printing. Don't expect ubiquitous support, though. Beyond being limited to the one phone, you'll have to stick to some of its preloaded apps, including the browser, contacts, email client, photo gallery, Polaris Office and S Note. It's far from a truly universal solution, then, but the two partners are at least promising zero-setup printing on both the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II through firmware updates coming later in 2013. We'll take the approach if it saves time snagging an old-fashioned boarding pass or some concert tickets.
T-Mobile, AT&T publish Galaxy S 4 sign-up page, for those who want to be first in the know
Did Samsung's bizarre GS4 unveiling leave you wanting a little more? Well, as it's often the case, carriers are already preparing for the handset's eventual launch, and two US players have now officially opened the virtual doors to those potential buyers. Both T-Mobile and AT&T's sign-up pages for the Galaxy S 4 are now live, giving the interested folk a way to be kept in the loop as soon as the South Korean firm's flagship becomes available in each network. Unfortunately, although not surprisingly, pricing and precise availability details are still scarce at the moment -- but hey, at least we have some idea as to when we can expect it to hit shelves not just in the US of A but all over the world.
The Daily Roundup for 03.15.2013
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 puts Exynos 5 Octa into production: guess who's the first customer
That Galaxy S 4 isn't going to compute tasks through sheer force of will, you know. Just a day after Samsung unveiled the smartphone as its inaugural Exynos 5 Octa device, the company has confirmed that the not-really-eight-core ARM processor should be in mass production during the second quarter of the year, or between April and June. There aren't many more details to share beyond what the company mentioned at CES, but that doesn't diminish what could be a best-of-all-worlds processor: the automatic switching between four Cortex-A15 and four Cortex-A7 cores should give it a performance edge over many of its peers while reducing power consumption by up to 70 percent. We also know that the Octa's graphics performance has largely caught up to peers versus earlier Exynos 4 designs, as Imagination Technologies has confirmed that its PowerVR SGX544MP is providing enough muscle to double 3D performance over the creaky Mali-400 in the Exynos 4 Quad. About the only mystery left is whether or not many companies beyond Samsung will get a chance at some Exynos 5 Octa silicon, although there's one or two prospects.
The After Math: Samsung's newly discovered Galaxy, Google's gaffe and Seagate sells a lot of storage
Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week's tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages. In this week's After Math, Google got stung for its Street View WiFi mishap, Samsung revealed what is likely to be its best-selling phone (again), while the new Digital Public Library of America received a huge donation from the US National Archives. We're getting things ready for Engadget Expand this weekend, so expect a special edition TAM next week. We hope to see plenty of you at the event -- we'll be there.
7digital to drive the Galaxy S 4's Music Hub, ship on 100 million phones in 2013
If you've shopped at Samsung's Music Hub, there's a good chance that you've used 7digital's music services at some point: it's been involved in supplying songs for the past two generations of Galaxy flagships. That influence is carrying on to the Galaxy S 4, where 7digital will handle the Music Hub's storefront and purchased track streaming. While the deal doesn't represent a radical break for either side, it does give Samsung some odd bedfellows this time around -- 7digital is also operating music stores for BlackBerry 10 and Ubuntu One, and its apps have regularly surfaced on HTC devices and various Windows Phone models. Ultimately, 7digital expects its music shopping backbone to reside on more than 100 million smartphones before 2013 is over and done. That's no mean feat when the limelight often falls on music service rivals that insist on putting their names front and center, such as Amazon, Apple or Spotify.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 drafts in Swiftkey to power its keyboard
We'd heard rumors that Swiftkey might have assisted Blackberry on its well-received (and often prescient) BB10 keyboard, but the app maker has now confirmed that its software is behind the Galaxy S 4's native keyboard. It's the first time that the company's publicly admitted to powering a handset manufacturer's keys and will sidestep the need for S4 users to download its standalone app. Though, there's still plenty of reasons to download the app from Google play if you dig the customization options and themes of the original. Swiftkey's CTO Ben Medlock said that the keyboard is "at the heart of [Samsung's] flagship smartphone" and is hopefully just the first of many Android devices arriving with the company's voodoo already built in. We've added Ben's full statement after the break. Update: The company reached out to us to clarify that while its prediction engine is at the heart of Samsung's keyboard it is not Swiftkey in the purest sense. The natural comparison it reached for? Android and TouchWiz.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 gets April 26th UK release date, pre-orders start March 28th
Was that late April launch date for the Galaxy S 4 a little too vague for you? Well, fortunate British readers, you get something a little more specific. The UK's only LTE network, EE has stated that it will start selling Samsung's new Galaxy, both online and in its bricks and mortar establishments, starting April 26th. It's keeping quiet on the prices, matching those other UK carriers for the time being, but we're sure prices will appear ahead of any preorder page -- that's set to go live on March 28th.
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 swoops by the FCC toting LTE, international sensibilities
Sure, the Galaxy S 4 made its grand entrance at Radio City Music Hall today, but now it's had a low-key meet-and-greet with the FCC for government approval. The version offered up to Uncle Sam carries a 850 / 1900 GSM radio, 3G connectivity through 850 / 1900 WCDMA frequencies and support for LTE Band 5. Since AT&T's main LTE squeeze is Band 17, what we're seeing here is an international version of Samsung's flagship that can roam portions of Ma Bell's and Magenta's network when it sets foot in the US. Folks waiting for a GS4 outfitted for an American carrier will have to wait 'till at least the end of April, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for such a device visiting the FCC.
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 gets torn asunder, reveals its innards
Now that we've officially seen the Galaxy S 4 unveiled in a Broadway-like production, why not take a look inside it? Chinese outlet IT168, which gave us a peek at the flagship earlier today, couldn't resist tearing one open just before the handset's official reveal. What went under the screwdriver in this instance was a 3G-only China Unicom version of the GS4 packing dual SIM slots and the expected Exynos 5 Octa CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13 megapixel camera and 2,600mAH battery. Hit the neighboring source link for the entire set of glamour shots of the disassembled smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 wireless charging pad and S Health scale hands-on
No phone launch is complete without a few accessories added to the mix. Samsung had a whole bunch to announce alongside its Galaxy S 4, but only a few were on hand to check out up close and personal. We did, however, find a nice surprise hiding under those glossy white table covers -- a wireless charging pad. Yes, it turns out the the GS 4 does in fact have Qi wireless charging capabilities. Provided its available in your region and your carrier chooses to support it. The charging pad itself has a glossy plastic base that matches the phone, but there's a nice rubbery gray top that keeps the handset from sliding around too much while it's juicing up. We also got to check out the companion wireless scale that looks quite a bit like the Fitbit Aria. Though, with a square LCD and a healthy-sized Samsung logo on it. The scale is just one part of the larger S Health equation which also includes a Jawbone Up-like monitor (S Band), which was sadly nowhere to be found in the demo pit. The scale of course sync with the baked in S Health app over Bluetooth, which makes it quite a bit easier to track how that diet of yours is going. In addition to simply tracking your total poundage, there will be bands for tracking heart rate and the S 4's various sensor can help judge the comfort level of your environment. The requisite glut of photos can be found below in the gallery.%Gallery-182903% Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report. Check out our event hub for all the action from Samsung's Galaxy S 4 event.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 accessories: cases, calorie counting and gamepads
What's a fancy new smartphone without accessories? Don't ask the Galaxy S 4 -- it's already planning to augment its software tricks with scales, fitness bands and of course, the requisite screen cover. Samsung's latest flagship won't settle for a mere flip cover, however, its S View Cover features a window to the Galaxy S 4's 5-inch Super AMOLED screen, allowing users to peek at the display and even answer calls without exposing their device. There's goodies for the health conscious to buy, too: the jawbone-like S band and a Samsung branded body scale, both of which sync with the device's S Health software. The device even has gamers covered, teasing a prototype gamepad with striking resemblance to the beloved Xbox 360 gamepad. Sammy didn't mention when these accessories would hit the market (or at what price), but we'll keep our ear to the ground for future details. %Gallery-182897% Check out our event hub for all the action from Samsung's Galaxy S 4 event.