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Samsung ATIV S review: the Galaxy S III, repackaged for Windows Phone 8
Samsung was one of the first to join the Windows Phone parade with the Focus, and was quick to follow up with devices like the Focus S. It's been unusually conservative with Windows Phone 8, however: the ATIV S ($100 on contract through Bell Canada) is the last of the big three flagships to arrive in 2012, following weeks after the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 920 went on sale. Some would argue that Samsung has been especially conservative with the ATIV S, given that it shares the same 4.8-inch screen, Snapdragon S4 processor, cameras and overarching design traits with Sammy's other flagship phone, the Galaxy S III. There's a real worry that someone visiting the carrier store will see both devices and pick the Galaxy simply through name recognition alone. And yet, they're not entirely cut from the same cloth: there's a design twist or two, a larger battery and, of course, a switch to an entirely different ecosystem. Some will want the phone to try Windows Phone's simpler, at-a-glance interface concept; others are shopping solely inside of Microsoft's universe and want to know if expandable storage and Samsung's custom app suite fend off rivals. We already have lots to like, but there are a few punctures in the ATIV S' faux-metal armor that will keep it from being the handset for everyone, even if they do prefer Windows Phone. Read on and you'll see why.
Samsung ATIV S goes on sale at the big three Canadian carriers
Samsung's ATIV S has only just started trickling out into the marketplace, but Canadians will be happy to know they're some of the first to get their feet wet: Bell, Rogers and Telus have all made the Windows Phone 8 headliner available from today. We're seeing a wild variety in pricing that doesn't often happen with smartphones, however. Bell is offering the phone for $100 on a lengthy 3-year contract, but the amount drops to a momentary $80 at Rogers and just $30 at Telus' discounted price. Landing the ATIV S off-contract either costs $600 (at Bell and Rogers) or $650 on Telus. Locals shouldn't count on a walk-in purchase when there's talk at MobileSyrup of tight supply; they'll likely still be glad when they at least have the chance a week or more before their British counterparts.
Rogers puts all Windows Phone 8 devices on sale, keeps them well under $100
Rogers is currently in a full-court press to get us using Microsoft-branded devices, and it just made that clear through steep, across-the-board sales on everything Windows Phone 8. Nokia's Lumia 920 has dropped from $100 to $50; the yet-to-ship Samsung ATIV S has already dropped from $150 to a more tempting $80 for early adopters. The sweetest of deals may be for the HTC Windows Phone 8X, which has dipped to $30 for a 16GB model and a solitary penny for the 8GB version. For all the cuts, Rogers is careful to warn that they're part of a "limited time offer" and might not last beyond the weekend. We're delving deeper for an official statement on the drops, although the ATIV S cut may be to counter a leaked (and as yet unconfirmed) Bell deal at the same price. Whatever the cause, we'll gladly take steep discounts on cutting-edge hardware.
Rogers Anyplace TV Home Edition lets Canadians steer DVRs, watch live TV from iOS
Mobile apps that blend DVR control and live TV are thriving in the US and elsewhere, so you can imagine the frustration Canadians have felt going without an official option from local telecom giants. A new version of Rogers' Anyplace TV Home Edition app for iOS redresses that problem, if not quite in a radically different way than its US peers. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch owners can now manage DVR recordings on their NextBox hubs, and iPad owners can watch live TV from the same app -- but only from 25 cleared channels, and only when they're at home on a Rogers internet connection. It's not quite a liberation from the TV status quo, then, and Android users will have to wait for their own fix sometime during the last few weeks of 2012. Still, it's hard to object to a free bonus for an existing subscription.
Huawei Honor 2 passes through the FCC with North America-capable 3G, not much else
Huawei upped its ante in the smartphone games with the Honor 2 just weeks ago, but with few mentions of where the phone maker might place its bets outside of its native China. An FCC filing has at least raised the slim chance that Huawei might look to North America. The newly-tested device doles out HSPA+ support on the 850MHz, 1,700MHz and 1,900MHz bands, letting it work with the 3G of just about any American or Canadian GSM carrier. Without any LTE to speak of, though, the Honor 2 variant is more likely to appear on a smaller network that doesn't yet have access to the faster data, such as T-Mobile or Wind -- if it shows up at all, that is. As FCC approvals only occasionally spoil a launch, we'll mostly be waiting to see if Huawei or carriers step forward before anticipating the mid-tier phone on this side of the Pacific.
CIBC Mobile Payment App reaches BlackBerry App World for the rare chance you can actually use it
Rogers kicked off Canadian NFC mobile payments at the start of the month through what was mostly a ceremonial gesture -- until the CIBC app arrived, locals simply had to wait. It's at last time try some Suretap mobile shopping now that the CIBC Mobile Payment App has popped up in BlackBerry App World. As promised, the title will let Canucks tap to pay with a credit card (up to $50 at once) at the 17 store chains offering use of a MasterCard PayPass or Visa PayWave terminal. The catch remains the sheer number of conditions that need to be in place: on top of requiring an NFC-aware SIM card, a CIBC credit card and the right stores, the early software only works its magic with the BlackBerry Bold 9900; Curve 9380 support depends on a future update. Having the crucial app is still a step forward, and the handful of trailblazers can always recount tales of buying Timbits with their Bolds while those on other platforms have to sit tight until 2013.
Microsoft Canada claims HTC 8X, Nokia Lumia 920 ship in earnest to Rogers on November 12th
American carriers have almost been tripping over themselves to pin down release dates for their Windows Phone 8 devices, but we've heard precious little for those north of the border. Microsoft Canada has at last showed its hand: the company's Facebook page briefly showed that Rogers would offer both the HTC Windows Phone 8X and full-scale shipments of the Nokia Lumia 920 on November 12th. While Rogers will only confirm to us so far that the HTC 8X is arriving sometime "next week," the post suggests Canada might get HTC's leading device slightly ahead of the US, on top of just edging out Americans on the Nokia flagship. Any truth to the exact timing could satisfy those who think even the wait for Bell's rumored November 15th launch might be too long.
HTC Windows Phone 8S hits the FCC with North American 3G, gives the US a horrible tease
Unlike Nokia, all of HTC's Windows Phone effort in the US this fall has been centered on the high-end, through the Windows Phone 8X. That makes the FCC appearance of its budget cousin, the 8S, borderline cruel for American fans of HTC's hyper-colorized design. The phone getting clearance has support for both AT&T and T-Mobile HSPA bands without the LTE that either American carrier would want. Given that the 8S is officially destined for Canada (and not the US) without a named carrier, we're most likely looking at an example for a budget Canuck provider such as Mobilicity or Wind. At least the frequencies will be a comfort to gray market US importers who want HTC's Windows Phone aesthetic on the cheap.
Rogers overhauls its cellphone plans to offer unlimited voice and text, hook Canadians on data (update: Bell and Telus too)
Most larger North American cellular carriers still base their plans around voice minutes -- how quaintly 2006 of them. We're in an era of smartphones now, and Canada's Rogers is revamping its plans to reflect a data-first reality while possibly wringing out a few dollars more. A quartet of newly active Unlimited Talk and Text rates hand out the now-trivial messaging and voice time like candy: apart from a $55 entry plan that includes a still-healthy 1,000 minutes of talk, they all offer unlimited local or Canada-wide calling as well as unlimited MMS and SMS. The gotcha, as you'd anticipate, is getting enough data. Anyone but the most casual among us will want to skip the anemic 200MB from the $55 plan in favor of the $65 (1GB), $75 (3GB) or $95 (5GB) tiers that let smartphones flex their muscles. Rogers' strategy is no doubt meant to draw a few data-heavy Galaxy Note II and Lumia 920 buyers into more lucrative service echelons, but it's a refreshing break from pricing that still treats the basics as scarce resources. Update: It's well-known that the major Canadian carriers tend to imitate each other's cellular plans, and there's no sign they're letting up. MobileSyrup has heard that both Bell and Telus should have uncannily similar plans as of November 9th and 8th, respectively. About the only practical difference is Telus' decision to focus on the top three tiers and hike prices by $5 across the board.
Rogers and CIBC kick off Canadian NFC-based mobile payments with mini event (update: full details)
Rogers and its banking partner CIBC have been making much ado over bringing NFC mobile payments to Canada since the spring, but the companies have been mostly silent on actual availability and let a rumored October 15th launch date pass by without fanfare. The two partners are at last ready to swing into action, at least symbolically -- a photo-op at a Tim Hortons in Toronto on Friday will officially represent the first instance of their payment system being used in the wild. What we've seen officially and otherwise hasn't changed, which means that event star and triathlete Simon Whitfield will be using one of two NFC-equipped BlackBerry phones with a special SIM card while he buys a meal that we imagine involves coffee and maple-glazed donuts. Rogers hasn't said how soon the less sporty among us will be making payments, although the limited choices of phones (two) and carriers (one) will only give a handful of Canucks a chance to join in. Update: Just as Whitfield's coffee is cooling off, Rogers has given out full details: the CIBC mobile payment option will roll out later in the month to at least 2,300 Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada, with 3,000 more joining in by December. It's called Suretap, as the earlier leak confirmed, and there's no sudden support for Android, Windows Phone or other platforms until 2013. A total of 17 merchants using MasterCard PayPass and Visa PayWave will be eligible to start.
Nokia Lumia 920 ships first to Rogers, makes Canadians the world's vanguards for $100 (update: still very exclusive)
What, did you think Americans or Europeans would get the first crack at the Lumia 920? Continuing a recent pattern of Canadians getting devices first, Rogers has confirmed that some of its stores will have Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 8 hardware in stock on October 30th -- that's almost immediately, folks. If you call and find you're near one of the choice few shops carrying the 920, it will cost you either $100 Canadian on a lengthy 3-year contract or $550 outright to walk away with Microsoft's poster child. Nearly the only drawbacks to being a pioneer are the black-only color choice (sorry, still no patriotic red) and Rogers' current lock on the initial launch, although Microsoft's own mention of the Lumia coming to Rogers "and others" gives us hope that Bell and Telus will follow soon. It's a small price to pay for making even the Finns slightly jealous. Update: Surprise -- Rogers caught the Microsoft page for itself and says the hint of non-exclusivity was a mistake that's being corrected. We don't know if the carrier has a permanent exclusive, but we'd tentatively go shopping for a Samsung ATIV S on Telus if you're looking for a high-end Windows Phone on another Canadian network.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 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 October 22nd, 2012
If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, T-Mobile announced the price and release date for the Optimus L9, carriers were announced in Canada for the ATIV S Windows Phone and ZTE released a low-priced Android smartphone for Virgin Mobile in the UK. 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 October 22nd, 2012.
Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging
Itching for Nokia's latest piece of Windows Phone kit, but aren't ready to saddle up with Ma Bell? Get comfortable: according to a leaked AT&T training video, you'll have to wait six months for the Lumia 920's exclusivity contract to expire. The unofficial Windows Phone 8 flagship is due out next month, though mum's still the word on its actual ship date. The trio of videos also give AT&T employees a brief run down of Nokia City Lens, wireless charging and the handset's NFC features. If you simply can't wait until spring, Verizon and T-Mobile are serving up a pair of mid-range alternatives, the Lumia 820 and 822, respectively. Otherwise, head past the break to see the videos for yourself and test your patience.
Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC
Hopefully AT&T subscribers weren't spooked when the Nokia Lumia 920 first passed through the FCC in only its non-US guise, and its lower-end 820 cousin only as the (currently unofficial) Verizon-ready Lumia 822. The two Windows Phone 8 flagships have had follow-up approvals in GSM versions that are unmistakably destined for AT&T and Canadian carriers. Never mind the slightly distracting RM-820 model number on the Lumia 920; it reveals the 920's distinctive curved design, 700MHz LTE in AT&T's range and AWS-based LTE for both AT&T as well as its Canadian neighbor. The Lumia 820 is equally identifiable as the RM-824, even if it limits the LTE access to AT&T's network. We haven't seen any shocking revelations from either device, although we weren't expecting any from phones that hew so closely to the original templates. The filings mostly set expectations for Microsoft's October 29th event -- now that the likely stars of the show are cleared to make their appearances, the companies involved should breathe more easily.
Rogers, CIBC may launch Suretap NFC-based payments on October 15th, require a unique SIM
Rogers and Canadian bank CIBC struck a deal for NFC-based mobile payments back in May, long enough ago that it was starting to fade out of the public consciousness. The alliance may be near refreshing our memory with a commercial launch in the cards. MobileSyrup has reportedly scored internal documents that has the two launching their e-commerce collaboration on October 15th under a slightly catchier Suretap name. Unfortunately, the text also suggests that the initial launch will require at least as much hoop-jumping from customers as for the original Google Wallet plans. Avoiding a traditional wallet will demand a BlackBerry Bold 9900 or Curve 9360 on Rogers, a CIBC MasterCard, nearby stores with PayPass terminals, a CIBC app and now a special NFC-enabled SIM card -- a set of criteria that disqualifies almost everyone, especially when there's supposedly a $50 ceiling on transactions. It remains a step forward for mobile payments in a country that has had very few options to start with, but we'd only anticipate widespread adoption once there's a much wider selection of devices and banks.
Motorola RAZR HD LTE now available in Canada through Rogers for $100
Motorola had said its dearest RAZR HD LTE would be coming "later this fall" as an exclusive to Rogers, and today's the day that relatively thin and powerful Android handset hits shelves across the border. Available now for $100 (with the obligatory three-year commitment, of course), the RAZR HD LTE will hand interested Canadians a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich (sorry, no Jelly Bean for now), a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD, 720p display and a 1.5GHz, dual-core S4 CPU -- not to mention the ability to surf on Rogers' LTE waves in areas where the network's live. Meanwhile, those who would like to go the "outright" way will have to spend a cool $600 on Moto's Kevlar-sporting slab, but, needless to say, that's the price folks have to pay for walking out the door with a bit of leeway. Usually we'd say you should check out Rogers' website to snag one for yourself, however the site appears to be experiencing some technical difficulties right now -- but, hey, there's always the good ol' brick-and-mortar store.
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 1st, 2012
If you didn't get enough in mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, FCC Chairman Genachowski weighed in on what must be done to keep the spectrum crunch from becoming a crisis, pricing leaked for the Motorola RAZR HD LTE at Rogers and Japan got a version of the Xperia V to call its own. 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 October 1st, 2012.
Huawei Ascend P1 LTE hands-on
We've had the unexpected early opportunity to try what should be a production-grade Huawei Ascend P1 LTE -- early enough that the phone has yet to formally ship to its initial carrier. While we've seen hints of the 4G model towards the start of the year, what's landing in our hands is at least different than devices like the original Ascend P1, P1 S and P1 XL; months of extra engineering time, the LTE chipset and that bigger 2,000mAh battery have clearly had an effect. But by how much? Read on past the break for a quick tour of the refreshed design.
Likely HTC Windows Phone 8X with AT&T-friendly LTE surfaces at the FCC, just in time
Isn't that convenient. With only weeks left to go before the official Windows Phone 8 launch event, what's likely a version of the HTC Windows Phone 8X with North American LTE support has stopped by the FCC for approval. The PM23300 variant we see here (the international 8X is the PM23200) supports both the needed 700MHz LTE band for its eventual appearance at AT&T as well as AWS for wider AT&T coverage and the big three Canadian carriers. All are good signs that HTC is just about ready, although T-Mobile and Verizon subscribers might not want to get overly excited just yet -- there's no AWS 3G, CDMA or Verizon-ready 700MHz LTE to be found on this 8X, which shows that any US launch will still demand multiple editions. The others won't be far behind in the FCC race with that November release window already locked in.
