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Samsung's Infuse 4G coming to AT&T May 15th for $200
We've known Samsung's Infuse 4G was coming to AT&T since the day we got our grubby mitts on one at CES, and now it's finally here. Samsung's svelte superphone with the dazzling 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display is launching May 15th on AT&T for $200 on a two-year contract. Keep it locked right here, as more pics and a hands-on with Sammy's hot new handset are on the way. Behind that sizable screen real estate, the Infuse 4G packs HSDPA Cat 14 and HSUPA Cat 6 radios, a 2GB microSD card, 1.2 GHz processor, and Android 2.2. Sammy also gave it an 8-megapixel camera in the back that does 720p video and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter -- all in a handset that's 9.24mm thick in the bulge at the bottom and 8.9mm thin most everywhere else. Full details are in the PR after the break.
Motorola Atrix 4G, HD multimedia dock, and laptop dock hands-on
Earlier today, we got a complete demo and some seat time with the Motorola Atrix 4G for AT&T at Motorola's CES event, including its HD multimedia dock and laptop dock. The phone looks similar to the Samsung Vibrant, but with a black screen bezel and a tastefully patterned matte back cover. Build quality is very good, as we'd expect from a Motorola device. The QHD (960 x 540) display is gorgeous and the phone feels ultra snappy, thanks to the dual-core processor running Froyo. In fact, despite still running preliminary firmware, we recorded a blazing 2,616 score on the Quadrant test. The power button at the top back of the Atrix 4G also serves as a fingerprint reader, and there's a dual-LED flash flanking the 5 megapixel camera. Check out the gallery below and read on for the details -- and the complete demo on video -- after the break. %Gallery-112834%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc Reality Display vs. Retina Display... fight!
Sony Ericsson isn't being shy about hyping the Xperia Arc's new Reality Display, so we naturally had to take a head-to-head shot with the iPhone 4's Retina Display. They actually compare quite well in person, even though the Arc actually has the same 854 x 480 resolution as the Droid X -- you can definitely see some pixels up close, but since the panel is a hair smaller than the X at 4.2 inches, the pixel density is a little tighter. The real noise behind the Reality Display is Arc's Bravia Engine, which Sony claims will enhance colors and detail just like on Bravia TVs, but we didn't get to play with it too much beyond finding the option in settings to turn it off. We'll obviously be diving deep on that once we score a review unit, but for now check a macro shot and a Droid X comparison after the break.
Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T eyes-on (Update: video)
We were checking out the Samsung booth at the Digital Experience event at CES when, lo and behold, we stumbled upon the Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T in all its gigantic 4.5-inch Super Amoled Plus display glory. There was only one catch: we weren't permitted to touch it, nor take shots of the back of the phone. So we compiled a few pictures of the front and sides of the 9 mm thin device below, including a size comparison with the iPhone 4. %Gallery-112855%
Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T: hands on, screen off
The Samsung Infuse 4G is all kinds of lovely to hold and sits happily in the palm, despite its 4.5-inch display and thanks to the slightly textured back. Did we mention it's thin? When it launches on AT&T it'll be the thinnest smartphone in the inventory. Heck, it's profile makes our iPhone look downright husky -- of course, with that size, the trade-off we'll be interested to see is how the battery performs. Unfortunately, Samsung wouldn't let us fire it up for a look under the hood but with CES just barely started, we've plenty of time to work our way into their hearts for a real tour. Have a peek below. %Gallery-112816%
Motorola Droid Bionic hands-on
If this is the direction high-power smartphones are going, we like what we're seeing. Though the software's still a bit raw (there's no Android Market, for example), the Droid Bionics on display here at Motorola's CES event this evening look and feel pretty blazingly fast. A spokesman we chatted with said that Motorola is actually doing some manner of software optimization (and yes, it'll launch with 2.2) to take advantage of the two cores out of the box, so it's a promising start -- as Jha says, it's "2GHz of processing power." We hope that's true in practice! Physically, the phone feels smooth in the same way a Droid 2 does, though a bit lighter -- good news considering the LTE hardware and big display, but not entirely surprising when you take into account the lack of a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The patterned battery cover looks textured, but it's actually quite smooth with a slight soft touch treatment. The screen looks great -- in particular, the viewing angle looked superb, though all phone displays have a tendency to look a little better in this sexy lighting since they can't wash out as easily. Follow the break for video! %Gallery-112829%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc announced, we go hands-on (update: video!)
The cat is out of the bag, Sony! We just walked into Sony's CES press conference and look at what we found hanging around in the back? It's Sony's Xperia Arc, and it is one slim smartphone. Seriously, it's really thin and its concave back reminds us a lot of the Nexus S. According to the placard it has a "Reality Display" with a Mobile BRAVIA Engine. We're not sure what those fancy words mean, but the display (we're assuming it is 4.2 inches) is definitely extremely bright and crisp -- like AMOLED bright and crisp. We don't know the exact measurements of the handset, but it looks just as thin as the iPhone... if not thinner. Other than that we know it has an mini-HDMI port and runs Android 2.3 (confirmed on the device itself!). It also has a Sony Exmor R camera. We should be learning much more about this thing as soon as it becomes "official," but until then hit the break for some hands-on shots. %Gallery-112806% Update: Ah, finally some confirmed specs. The Arc does in fact have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.2-inch display, 8.3 megapixel camera, and measures just 8.7mm thick. Hit the break for the full PR and specs.
Motorola Atrix 4G hits AT&T's website, complete with specs
We've already seen it announced an accessorized, and Motorola's Atrix 4G Android phone has now already turned up on AT&T's website with all the specs you've been waiting for. Those include a Tegra dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and support for up to 48GB of memory, a 4-inch QHD display (or 960 x 540), a front-facing VGA camera and 5-megapixel with an LED flash 'round back, a 1930 mAh battery that promises nine hours of talk time, fingerprint login security, and Android 2.2 for an OS. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look. %Gallery-112791%
Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon
Things are getting real with Motorola -- it's just announced the LTE-equipped Droid Bionic which, like the Xoom tablet introduced alongside it, will be headed to Verizon. The phone packs a dual-core processor with each core humming along at 1GHz, a 4.3-inch QHD screen, 1GB 512MB of RAM, a front-facing VGA camera, an 8-megapixel on the rear, HDMI out, and a Mirror Mode that will let you do simultaneous streaming of video to the TV and on the device. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the link below for the product page. Update: The press release states 512MB of RAM, while Motorola's product page lists 1GB, one of which is probably right. %Gallery-112795% %Gallery-112804%
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc hands-on video
We'd heard -- and seen -- that the Xperia Arc was going to make its debut at CES this year and even saw some details and a vid earlier today. Sony's press event is set to start in the next hour or so but we've managed to get a little video for you ahead of the official event. Feast your eyes on all the curvy magic, digest it, love it, and then pop right back for our liveblog and tons more info on this little Android 2.3 Gingerbread wonder.
Motorola Atrix 4G's Laptop Dock and Webtop app turn your phone into a smartbook
Turns out Motorola's just-announced Atrix 4G for AT&T will be available with a setup they're simply calling the Laptop Dock that pairs up with an app on the phone -- Webtop -- to transform the Atrix into a full-fledged smartbook. All you do, it seems, is dock the phone into a larger, 13.9mm thick chassis -- great for those times when nothing other than a big physical keyboard will do. We don't know how much it's going to cost on top of the phone itself, but something tells us it won't be a bundled accessory. More details as we have them. %Gallery-112702%
Motorola's dual-core Atrix 4G announced for AT&T (Orange UK and Bell Mobility, too)
Noticing a trend here? First we had the Infuse 4G from Samsung, and now we've got the Atrix 4G from Motorola featuring a whopping 1GB of RAM -- so it would seem this is the device we'd had rumored as the Olympus. Announced at AT&T's CES-based Developer Summit today, the phone is the first to be unveiled for the carrier's lineup with a dual-core processor, but the fun doesn't stop there: it's got a 960 x 540 display that gives the iPhone 4's pixel density a run for its money, a fingerprint reader, support for 802.11n on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, a ridiculous 1,930mAh battery that dwarfs the average 1,300 to 1,500mAh cell you see in most modern smartphones, HD video capture, and a wild set of peripherals -- HD Dock and Laptop Dock, primarily -- that allow you to use the Atrix in a "webtop mode" that bears a striking resemblance to a desktop operating system. Follow the break for the full press release! Update: It's coming to Orange UK and Bell Mobility as well, with Orange's version due Q2 2011 and Bell's "in the coming months." %Gallery-112701%
Samsung Infuse 4G announced for AT&T: 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, crazy thin
First introduced just last year on the Wave, it feels like Super AMOLED was just starting to get its sea legs... but here we go again: Samsung's latest handset -- announced today in collaboration with AT&T at CES -- is the first to tout "Super AMOLED Plus" technology that features a 50 percent boost in sub-pixel count, promising improvements both in contrast and outdoor readability. Maybe more importantly, the display clocks in at a whopping 4.5 inches, besting HTC's 4.3-inch range (the EVO 4G, Desire HD, and likely the Thunderbolt) without getting dangerously close to Dell Streak territory. It's got an 8 megapixel camera on back paired with a 1.3 megapixel shooter up front, a 1.2GHz single-core Hummingbird processor, and still somehow promises to be the thinnest smartphone on AT&T when it launches at a to-be-determined date. Now, the controversy: despite the name, the Infuse 4G apparently doesn't have a hint of LTE -- it's HSPA+, which means AT&T's now playing the same game as T-Mobile. We've had a brief chance to play with an early Infuse 4G dummy unit, so we weren't able to turn it on, but we got a pretty good impression of how it feels. Basically, we came away encouraged that 4.5 inches isn't going to feel too big for practical use -- if you're accustomed to something like an EVO, you probably won't skip a beat (that's undoubtedly due in part to the fact that the Infuse seems to be quite a bit thinner). We're told the tastefully textured matte rear cover that we saw wasn't final, but we're crossing our fingers that the retail unit doesn't diverge far from what they've done here, because it felt exceptionally high-quality and looked a whole lot better than the typical glossy plastic on the existing Galaxy S series. Speaking of Galaxy S, the Infuse is described as "a Galaxy S phone" -- so yeah, that brand isn't going away any time soon. Software-wise, we obviously weren't able to get a feel for speed on the non-functional model, but you can expect the usual TouchWiz skin atop Android 2.2; sure, Gingerbread would've been nice at launch, but you can dry your tears on that 1.2GHz silicon. %Gallery-112628%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc breaks cover, announced at CES this week?
Russian site Gagadget seems to have scored pictures of a phone that matches up perfectly with the teasers Sony Ericsson has placed strategically around the CES show grounds this week -- which, in turn, look a whole lot like the Anzu we've been seeing leaked for a few months. The site's saying this bad boy will come to market as the Xperia Arc, so called thanks to a concave backside. The specs, if legit, are decent: 1GHz Qualcomm processor (single-core, it seems), 4.2-inch 854 x 480 display, Gingerbread, 8 megapixel back-illuminated Sony sensor with HD video capture, and a body that measures just 8.7mm at the thinnest point. Sony's CES press conference is later today, so we might not have long to wait to get all the details on this one; in the meantime, follow the break for a quick promotional video Gagadget seems to have turned up. [Thanks, SillentTroll]
