09
May
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Closer Look And Hands-On With The Samsung Galaxy S III - The Most Interesting Phone Of The Year So Far, And We're Only Just Scratching The Surface

Posted by in Galaxy S III, Samsung, Videos
Last Updated: June 16th, 2012

The Galaxy S III, announced at a highly anticipated event last week, immediately impressed me with its advanced software. Samsung has stuffed the SGS III with so many features that my mind explodes every time I try to remember all of them - and what you saw during the unveiling is only half the story. There's more, a lot more, which is why the S III is going to be the most interesting Android phone to play with and review this year.

On the hardware front, "the next Galaxy" is quite beefy, and the only letdowns for me were the likely lack of LTE in the quad-core version and the looks.

08
May
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CTIA 2012: Hands-On With Kyocera Hydro And Rise [Video, Photos]

Posted by in Hydro, Kyocera, News, Rise, Videos

Since Kyocera was one of the only companies actually announcing something new at CTIA this year (this conference seems to get less and less relevant each year), I stopped by their booth to play around with the newborns - the waterpoof Hydro and the QWERTY Rise.

Both of these devices are definitely low- to mid-range, if you can really call a 2nd gen single-core Snapdragon mid-range anymore (no, you can't). They share all the same specs and features - the only differences are slightly modified looks, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard on the Rise. Because of the addition of this keyboard, it also loses its waterproof features.

08
May
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Remember Andru, Our Favorite Android-Powering Accessory? He's Getting A Makeover And Going International In 2012

Posted by in News

Remember our little friend Andru? Of course you do (and if not, I've conveniently linked a reminder in the first sentence, so you can act like you do)! He's so tiny, adorable, and charges your device with the greatest of ease. With all his charm, it's no surprise that he's one of our favorite Android accessories.

While he's quite the looker with his green exterior, he's going to be getting a makeover over the next month or two, and will be available in three more colors: black, white, and pink. Artem is at CTIA right now and spent some time with the little guys, so he snagged a few pics for us.

08
May
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AT&T Is Working On Shared Data Plans, Finally Device Consolidation Might Be Possible

Posted by in AT&T, News

The CEO of AT&T's mobile business, Ralph de la Vega, told CNET in an interview that the company is working on family data plans that would give consumers one big pot of data that all devices could share. While minute plans have worked this way for years, since tiered data came along, customers have been waiting on a way to pool their data.

No details are available on how the plans will work, or how it will affect subsidized devices. It's also unclear whether or not devices like tablets would be entered into the mix. One of the biggest hang ups on selling network-enabled tablets (aside from the increased device price) is convincing customers to buy into yet another data plan.

08
May
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Kyocera's Two New Phones, Hydro And Rise, "Meet The Demands Of Real Life"... From About Two Years Ago

Posted by in Hydro, Kyocera, News, Rise

When we last left Kyocera, the company was still trying to convince us that more screens are more better. Today at CTIA, the company best known for creating the company printer you kick at least once a week in the office announced two new phones that are decidedly less gimmicky: the Kyocera Hydro and the Kyocera Rise of the Machines.

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First off, the Kyocera Hydro, which is designed to be water resistant, and billed as a device that can "withstand the spills and drops of everyday life." Which is handy because, as a device with a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM, there is a very real chance you'll want to throw this device in a lake on more than one occasion.

08
May
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Virgin Mobile And Boost Mobile Get Their First 4G WiMax Handsets: The HTC EVO V 4G And EVO Design 4G, Respectively

Posted by in Boost Mobile, EVO Design 4G, EVO V 4G, News, Virgin Mobile

Looks like Sprint's underling companies have been busy working on bringing the first taste of 4G to the pay-as-you-go market. Piggybacking off of Sprint's 4G WiMax network, Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile will both begin offering one 4G-capable smartphone each on May 31st: the HTC EVO V 4G on Virgin and the EVO Design 4G will be representing all that WiMax has to offer on Boost.

HTC EVO V 4G

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The EVO V appears to be some sort of rehash of the EVO 3D:

  • 4.3-inch qHD display
  • 1GB RAM
  • 5MP rear shooter with 3D imaging, 1.3MP front camera
  • 4GB internal storage, microSD card slot
  • 1730mAh battery
  • Android 4.0 with Sense 3.6

There's no word on processor or clock speed, but I'll be surprised if it's not the same 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon that's in the original EVO 3D.

08
May
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CTIA 2012: Hands-On With Verizon's Upcoming HTC Droid Incredible 4G [Video, Photos]

Posted by in HTC, Incredible 4G, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

While Big Red may not be getting an HTC One series device just yet, the finally official Incredible 4G is actually very close. Announced yesterday just in time for CTIA, the Incredible 4G, along with most of its specs, was leaked by Android Police back in early April and briefly showed up two weeks later at DroidDoes.com. Yesterday, Verizon threw together a nice unofficial shindig for the press where we could finally check out the Incredible 4G in person. Read on for my impressions.

The Incredible 4G is basically One S' little brother - it's smaller (4" vs 4.3"), slightly clocked down (1.2GHz vs 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 'Krait'), has smaller internal storage capacity (8GB vs 16GB), an S-LCD instead of a Super AMOLED screen, and contains only a subset of ImageSense called Video Pic (it lets you snap photos while taking a video, which we show off below).

08
May
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Ubiquitous Wireless Power Fast Becoming A Reality As Samsung, Qualcomm And Others Unite To Develop A New Standard

Posted by in News, Samsung

Amongst the smorgasbord of features Samsung announced for its newest flagship device the Galaxy SIII, the wireless charging accessory seemed the most no-brainer. Wireless power has been a dream for almost everyone, but aside from short-lived products, such as the Touchstone that was available for Palm's Pré phones, they have not really become a reality.

Today Samsung and Qualcomm, together with a group of other technology companies, announced a new initiative that aims to promote the "global standardization of a wireless power transfer technology". The appropriately named "Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP)" will help create an affordable wireless charging solution for a range of consumer electronic devices, from low power ones, such as Bluetooth headsets, to battery draining tablets.

07
May
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HTC Announces The One V For The U.S., Set To Arrive On A 'Variety Of U.S. Partners Later This Summer'

Posted by in News, One V (Primo)

For everyone wanting to get a piece of new HTC tech, it looks like the littlest brother of the HTC One family, the One V, will be making its way stateside "later this summer."

HTC One V

For the uninitiated, the One V is the budget device from the One Series, packing some rather meager specs:

  • 3.7-inch 480x800 display
  • 1GHz single-core processor
  • 512MB RAM
  • 4GB built-in storage
  • 5MP F/2.0 rear shooter
  • Android 4.0 with Sense 4

While it's definitely no powerhouse on paper, it does bring some unique features to the world of budget devices, like Ice Cream Sandwich, the now less-intrusive Sense 4, and HTC's impressive new camera.

07
May
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DROID Incredible 4G LTE Officially Official, Available In "Coming Weeks," Packs S4 Processor And Removable Battery

Posted by in HTC, Incredible 4G, News, Verizon Wireless

It's finally here, the DROID Incredible 4G LTE, that phone you might have sort of been a little curious about at some point, but probably weren't because it isn't nearly as good looking as the real HTC One phones. But hey, it has a removable battery, Verizon's ever-expanding 4G LTE network, and a Snapdragon S4 processor that hopefully won't devour juice like the Cookie Monster at an all-you-can-eat Nestle Toll House buffet.

Here are some specs:

  • 4-inch super LCD qHD display
  • 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash, BSI, f/2.2 and 28 mm lens
  • Front-facing camera for video chatting with friends and family
  • 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 processor
  • Mobile Hotspot capable to share 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices
  • Support for up to 32 GB microSD™ memory card
  • 1,700 mAh lithium ion removable battery

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From International CTIA Wireless® 2012, Verizon Wireless and HTC today announced the new and exclusive DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE by HTC.