Charge (i510) - 3/3 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

[Hands-On Video] DROID Charge: First Impressions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Videos

While Verizon has temporarily pushed back the release date of the DROID Charge after a 24-hour 4G LTE network outage yesterday, I did manage to get my hands on a review unit this afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was how sleek and futuristic this phone looks - it is just plain cool, in a way that no HTC or Motorola device even comes close to. The boot animation is probably the best on any DROID to date. It's shaped like it was designed to thwart radar detection - and it's pretty light to boot, a perception that is reinforced by the Charge's faux-carbon fiber battery cover.

Apr

HTC ThunderBolt vs. Samsung DROID Charge: Battle Of The Specs

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), HTC, News, Samsung, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Verizon's pair of LTE handsets are sure to confuse some shoppers - though one is from Samsung (the DROID Charge) and the other from HTC (the ThunderBolt), the two sport relatively similar feature sets and designs that somewhat resemble one another. So what's the difference? Well, aside from the Charge being $50 more expensive than the already-pricy ThunderBolt, there really aren't many differentiators - let's take a side-by-side look at their spec sheets:

Spec type	DROID Charge	ThunderBolt
CPU	1GHz Hummingbird	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655
Display	4.3" Super AMOLED Plus	4.3" SLCD
OS	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz UI	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Sense UI
Front camera	1.3MP	1.3MP
Rear camera	8MP with 720P HD recording	8MP with 720p HD recording
RAM	512MB	768MB
Internal storage	2GB	8GB (though not all of that storage is usable)
Included SD card	32GB	32GB
DLNA support	Yes	Yes
Buttons	Physical	Capacitive
Size	130 mm x 68 mm x 12 mm	122 mm x 66 mm x 13.2 mm
Weight	143g	177g
Battery capacity	1600 mAh	1400 mAh
Price on contract	$299	$249

As you can see, neither device is anything to scoff at, though - at least in my eyes - the fact that the ThunderBolt runs Sense UI turns the tide in its favor (despite the Charge's superior screen and slightly thinner profile).

Apr

Verizon Releases Explosive New Ad For Samsung's DROID Charge - Prepare To Have Your Mind Blown

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Big Red has always been renowned for its awe-inspiring commercials, but this latest spot for the DROID Charge takes things to a whole new level. Trapdoors, monolithic Microsoft Surface-style touchscreens, mind-boggling explosions - you name it, Verizon's included it. I won't spoil the fun for you, though; go ahead and watch the ad for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz13Ecw9Fr4

Too bad that fulmination didn't rid the phone of its outrageous $300 price tag.

Source: Verizon (YouTube) via Droid Life

Apr

DROID Incredible 2 and Casio G'zOne Commando Join The DROID Charge - All Coming To Verizon On April 28th

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Verizon Wireless

April 28th is going to be a big day at Verizon for Android lovers, as three new phones are scheduled to hit the sales floor, adding even more choices to the already vast lineup of VZW Android powered goodness.

Samsung DROID Charge

First on the list is the Samsung DROID Charge. I realize that we've known the release date for several days, but it's definitely worth mentioning again since it's the first 4G phone to carry the DROID tag and will most likely take its place as the new flagship phone for VZW.

Specs:

4G LTE
4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Plus display
1GHz Hummingbird processor
8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
Mobile Hotspot with support for up to 10 devices
Android 2.2 with Samsung's TouchWiz interface
Price: $299 with a new two-year agreement

It is (unjustly) the most expensive phone on the list, with the fact that it runs on Verizon's 4G LTE network the only thing that it really has going for it.

Apr

DROID Charge Release Date Confirmed: Welcome The Newest Member Of The Family On April 28th... For $299

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, Charge (i510), News, Verizon Wireless

We've been hearing rumors about the release date for the Samsung DROID Charge for a few weeks now, but VZW has just announced that the official launch date for Sammy's first 4G LTE smartphone will be April 28th. Considering that Samsung released the source code for the Charge last week, this comes as little surprise.

The Charge will hit the sales floor for the ridiculously high price of $299 with a new two year agreement. What do you get for all of that green, you ask?

4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen
1GHz Hummingbird processor
8MP rear camera
1.2MP front camera
Android 2.2
Mobile Hotspot with support of up to 10 devices

To get a better idea of what you can expect out of this device, check out our hands-on at CES this year:

What do you think?

Apr

Samsung Is On A Roll: Two Kernel Source Code Releases In As Many Days (Droid Charge And Fascinate Froyo)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), Development, Fascinate, News

We all know about the update woes that owners of Samsung handsets have faced over the past several months - owners of the VZW Fascinate are still waiting on their update to Froyo. It looks that wait may be coming to an end as the source code has finally shown up on Samsung's Open Source Release Center. Even if the official OTA doesn't hit phones soon, you can rest assured that XDA devs will be hard at work hacking and compiling this source, so you'll be able to enjoy all of the Froyo goodness that you can handle soon enough.

Apr

Samsung Droid Charge's Price Tag Shows Up - Sit Down Before You Read It

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Are you sitting down? Assuming you're reading this on your PC, I would imagine that you are. Unless, of course, you have a standing desk, in which case I urge you to sit down. We've seen it pop up on the web but haven't really heard anything about its price. This time, however, it looks like it made an in-store appearance at Walmart and brought a price tag along with it. Are you ready for this? $298.88 with a two-year agreement. No, that's not a typo.

Releasing a phone that's already somewhat behind the curve at this price is just ridiculous.

Apr

Samsung DROID Charge Shows Up On Walmart Site, Still Unannounced

Posted by David Ruddock in Charge (i510), Samsung

Verizon's doing about as well keeping the Charge under wraps as Sprint did with the EVO Shift 4G - and now, the Samsung DROID has shown up on Walmart's online wireless store, albeit only in the form of a stock photo:

For a phone that's still unannounced (technically), and reportedly being released tomorrow, Verizon doesn't seem too concerned with generating fanfare for its second LTE device.

After the release date flip-flopping on the Thunderbolt, it wouldn't surprise in the least if the Charge was facing a [sort of expected] minor delay.

Droid-life

Jan

CES 2011: Quick Hands-On With Verizon’s Samsung i510 – 4G LTE, 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus Display, And More [Video]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Videos

Not impressed with the HTC Thunderbolt, the LG Revolution, or the Droid Bionic? Samsung might just have the perfect device for you.

Though we have yet to discover the device's name, we do have its model number - i510 - and (some of) its specs:

4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display
Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Samsung's TouchWiz UI
1 GHz Hummingbird processor
8MP rear camera
1.3MP front-facing camera
2GB internal storage
32GB microSD card slot out of the box

Artem also managed to get hands-on with the device at CES - check it out in the video below:

Press release:

Verizon Wireless And Samsung Mobile Announce Samsung’s First 4G LTE-Enabled Smartphone

Features Android 2.2 platform, Super AMOLED™ Plus Display, 1GHz Application Processor and Rear and Front-Facing Cameras

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — From the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung 4G LTE smartphone will be available on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network.