Samsung Nexus Prime a.k.a. Galaxy Nexus specced, teased in video — Something big is coming

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  • October 6, 2011 at 2:40 pm

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Samsung Nexus Prime teaser

Next Tuesday, 11th of October, Samsung has another Unpacked event scheduled, this time headed for San Diego, California. The big news is that, this might be one of the most important moments for the Android ecosystem, the unveiling of the first Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” device: the Nexus Prime. Samsung has released a teaser video for the Unpacked event (which you can find after the break) showing a curvy smartphone with docking pins, citing “Something BIG is coming” and a Google logo making friends with a Samsung logo.

We’ve already reported on the rumored specs for the Nexus Prime, i.e. the device could sport a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED 1280×720 HD resolution display, 1.5GHz Processor, 5MP back and 1MP from cameras and shoot 1080p HD video.
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HTC Raider 4G LTE 4.5-inch 1.5GHz Android smartphone busted taking a ‘Holiday’ in South Korea

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  • September 21, 2011 at 2:22 pm

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HTC Raider 4G LTE Android smartphone

We know it when we see a familiar face. A new Android handset has just been announced by HTC for South Korea, the HTC Raider. The handset is the same, at least externally, as the rumored Holiday said to be released on AT&T. Following the trend of going bigger and faster, the Raider features a qHD (960 x 540) resolution 4-5-inch screen, running a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (our rumors pointed to a 1.2GHz processor for the Holiday, but that might have changed on the way).
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Official: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update coming in 1-2 weeks

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  • September 21, 2011 at 1:33 pm

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HTC Titan with Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango"

Microsoft decided to end any speculation and just announced that Windows Phone 7.5, code-name Mango, will be rolling out to existing Windows Phone 7 handsets in one or two weeks. Obviously not every country, manufacturer and carrier will be getting the update as the same time. Microsoft will be keeping us up to date on the roll-out, at “Where’s my phone update“.

In order to get the update be sure you have the latest version of the Zune software for Windows PCs and Windows Phone 7 Connector for Macs.

Microsoft’s Eric Hautala is also warning users:
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Meet HTC Rhyme, the new 3.7-inch Android smartphone with female sensibilities coming to Verizon, Europe and Asia (video)

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  • September 20, 2011 at 5:21 pm

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HTC Rhyme Android smartphone and accessories

The HTC Rhyme (a.k.a. HTC Bliss) is now official. The Rhyme is a 3.7-inch, 480 x 800 resolution, Android smartphone with a 1GHz single-core processor. The HTC Rhyme will be landing on Verizon, for $199, by the end of the month sporting an elegant, and undeniably female friendly, purple tone. It should also reach European and Asian shores in October and perhaps also adopt champagne and teal color looks.

The smartphone will be shipping with HTC’s new Sense 3.5 UI and Android Gingerbread, have a 5-megapixel back and VGA front-facing cameras, 768MB of RAM and 1GB of available built-in storage. HTC is also launching a series of matching accessories: Purple earphones and Bluetooth headset, a white car speaker and a “charm cable” which glows in purple on incoming calls and messages so you can be alerted discretely. There will also be a docking station which can charge your phone while tuning it into a bedside alarm or music center.

Check out more photos and video after the break.
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Google preparing Android developers for Ice Cream Sandwich, one operating system for all

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  • September 19, 2011 at 2:53 pm

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Actionbar phone and tablet on Android Ice Cream Sandwich

We’re expecting the next version of Android, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich, to come soon. Android versions have diverged, with Android 2.3 Gingerbread running on smartphones and 3.0 Honeycomb running on tablets; ICS is expected to unify the Android system again and will allow the same version of Android to run on all devices, independent of size and resolution.

As the official unveiling comes closer, the precise date still remains unknown, more information is coming out of Google’s headquarters. A post on the official Android Developers’ blog, aimed at helping developers in preparing their tablet friendly Honeycomb apps to work on smartphones with Ice Cream Sandwich, brings us a few interesting bits of information.
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HTC Vigor to be HTC’s next flagship Android handset; could land on Verizon as the DROID Incredible HD

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  • September 16, 2011 at 7:58 am

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HTC Vigor Android smartphone

It seems that the HTC Sensation XE‘s reign will be short-lived. Rumors, and images, have been going around, of a new flagship Android smartphone by the Taiwanese manufacturer, named HTC Vigor.

The Vigor is rumored to bear some similarities with the Sensation XE, that is a 4.3-inch screen, dual-core 1.5GHz processor and Beats by Dr. Dre audio mode with matching earbuds. However, the HTC Vigor is believed to feature a 720p HD resolution (1280 x 720); that means a retina display worthy 342 ppi density, beating even the iPhone 4’s 330 ppi.

The phone will also have 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 8-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras. It is also said to run the new HTC Sense 3.5 UI on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.
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HTC Sensation XE is official with 1.5GHz processor bump, bigger battery and Beats audio

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  • September 14, 2011 at 5:48 am

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HTC Sensation XE smartphoneThe rumored special edition of the HTC Sensation just became official. The HTC Sensation XE will be the first handset from the company bearing the fruits of its partnership with Beats Electronics. The handset features a new red and black design (if that’s your thing) and will come together with a pair of matching Beats by Dr. Dre earphones.

When the in-ear headphones are connected, the handset switches to a custom Beats by Dr. Dre sound profile, which, HTC claims delivers audio tuned specifically for them. The Sensation XE features a higher clocked CPU, with the processor running at 1.5GHz (instead of 1.2GHz for the original Sensation). Most important, for us, is the inclusion of a higher capacity, 1730mAh battery. Hopefully the Sensation XE will be able to last a whole day with one charge; while hopefully, original Sensation owners will be able to buy it for their handset as well.

We’d also like to get the Sensation XE in our hands to test if HTC has fixed the infamous death-grip issue on the refreshed handset.

The smartphone will be available in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia in late September. Full PR after the break.
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Samsung Galaxy Note includes support for GLONASS, bids ‘do svidaniya’ to slow GPS fix

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  • September 12, 2011 at 1:12 pm

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Samsung Galaxy Note with GLONASS support

So, here is something we missed when we initially looked at the new Galaxy Note; when we had another look at the official mini-site we noticed that Samsung has included support for GLONASS in addition to GPS.

GLONASS is a radio-based satellite navigation system, the Russian equivalent to the U.S.’s GPS. GLONASS was initiated during Soviet Union times but had then fallen into disrepair, it has since then been upgraded in various stages and can now begin to rival GPS — GLONASS is actually more accurate than GPS in northern latitudes because of the positioning of its satellites.

The biggest benefits, however, come when you combine both systems together, GLONASS and GPS; this allows a device to get more accurate positioning and/or faster fix, particularly in deep urban environments. This is because you suddenly have access to the US GPS 31 satellites and the Russian GLONASS 24 satellites for a total of 55 active satellites.

Below is a test that was ran showing the improvement in accuracy by using both systems together:
Better fix accuracy using both GPS and GLONASS

Now, the specifications for the Galaxy Note mention “A-GPS, Glonass”, so there is good possibility that Samsung can enable the device to use both, for better positioning. Well, we shall see soon, when the Note finally lands later this year.
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Is this the Samsung Nexus Prime? Google’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone

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  • September 10, 2011 at 9:02 am

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Google Nexus Prime Samsung's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone

After we got official word from Google’s own Eric Schmidt, that Android’s next iteration, 4.0, codename Ice Cream Sandwich, is coming in October or November, speculation on the first handset to run it, is running high.

All bets are that Samsung is the lucky Nexus manufacturer this time around and the name of handset is Nexus Prime — Nexus Galaxy wouldn’t sound right, now would it? The latest leak comes from an unlikely source; a UK retailer just posted a webpage for the Nexus Prime listing a number of specs which we’ve already seen rumored for the handset.

The site lists: Android 4.0, 4.6-inch Super AMOLED, 1.5GHz Processor, 5MP Camera + F 1MP, 1080p HD Video, WiFi, GPS.

This could be a solid leak or just the attempt of a retailer to drive some free trafic to its website, it really remains to be seen.
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Drawing on the Samsung Galaxy Note using the S Pen stylus (video)

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  • September 10, 2011 at 7:38 am

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Drawing on the Samsung Galaxy Note using the S Pen stylus

There are two things that make the Samsung Galaxy Note stand out, first is its incredible 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, and second, the stowable S Pen stylus. The S Pen is a pressure sensitive stylus which paired with a host of Samsung applications allows you to perform certain tasks, such as taking handwritten notes, but also to unleash your creativity by drawing directly on your phone’s screen.

Head over after the break to see a demo video of what someone with artistic inclinations can do on the Note.
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Motorola Droid Bionic now on sale from Verizon

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  • September 8, 2011 at 1:29 am

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Motorola Droid Bionic on Verizon launch

Drum-roll, please. The Motorola Droid Bionic has finally hit Verizon and is today available to order for $300 with a two year contract. We’ve been expecting the 4.3-inch, dual-core 1GHz, 4G LTE Android phone from Motorola for a while now and although it’s late to the party, we’re glad it’s finally here.

If you’ve been holding your breath for this, head over to Verizon’s page to order yours today; or you can wait just a bit longer for the iPhone 5 or even the Nexus/Droid Prime, which shouldn’t be too far off.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3-inch smartphone benchmarked, deemed worthy (video)

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  • September 6, 2011 at 4:33 am

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Samsung Galaxy Note Quadrant benchmark

We’ve already expressed our excitement for Samsung’s mammoth new phone, the 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED Galaxy Note, in our previous coverage. Well the good folks over at Techblog.gr got the chance to run the Quadrant benchmark on the device at the IFA show floor and got some unsurprisingly impressive results.

The Note runs on a dual-core Samsung 1.4GHz processor and managed to score 3,624 on Quadrant, ever so slightly better than even then 1.2GHz Samsung Galaxy S II score, putting it ahead of every other Android smartphone in terms of processing performance.

It’s important to note, however, that the Galaxy Note features a screen resolution of 1280×800 pixels, meaning that it pushes 2.7-times for pixels than the Samsung Galaxy S II (with resolution 800×480). That alone makes the benchmark result even more impressive. You can see the benchmark for yourselves at around the 4.5-minute mark on the video after the break

Of course, performance doesn’t come cheap, the Samsung Galaxy Note is expected to hit Scandinavian shores — Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark — first, in November, with a price tag of around 670-750 euros ($1,000). The phone is then expected to arrive in the UK a the start of 2012 but no US availability in the horizon yet.
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iPhone 5 available first week of October from Best Buy, pre-orders sooner?

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  • September 4, 2011 at 12:14 pm

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Internal memo: iPhone 5 launch on Best Buy first week of October

BGR has received and internal document from a source claiming to be a Best Buy insider detailing preparatory work for an iPhone 5 launch in the first week of October. The document also mentions the iPhone 5 launching for Sprint, though if you ask anyone from Sprint we’re sure they would not want to talk about it. The “leaked” document also suggests a pre-order period, which would mean that the iPhone 5 will be announced very shortly, although Apple hasn’t yet sent invites for the usual launch event.
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HTC Titan 4.7-inch and HTC Radar 3.8-inch Windows Phone 7.5 Mango smartphones announced (video)

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  • September 2, 2011 at 5:25 am

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HTC Titan on-screen keypad

HTC has made a titanic, but expected, announcement; its first pair of WP7.5 “Mango” smartphones. The first and biggest phone is the appropriately named HTC Titan (a.k.a. HTC Eternity). With a 4.7-inch Super-LCD screen (800 x 480) this is HTC biggest phone yet and actually the largest-screened Windows Phone ever — it is larger than the HTC Sensation but lacks the 960×540 resolution, probably because WP7.5 will still have a maximum resolution limit of 800×480.

Obviously, the bigger news here is Microsoft’s updated operating system. With over 500 claimed new features, which will put Microsoft back in the catching-up game to Android and iOS. The Titan however is no slouch with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. We doubt that the 1600mAh battery will be enough to power this beast — but maybe HTC will follow-up with a ‘Special Edition‘ later, we’re being ironic of-course. The phone will weight 160g (5.6 oz) and the measurements, which you can see beautifully displayed in the image gallery after the break, are 131.5 x 70.7 x 9.9mm (5.18 x 2.78 x 0.39 inches).
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