18
Oct
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This news has been some time coming, but it finally looks like the time is nigh: Sprint WiMax will soon be available in three of America's hottest of hot-spots. While Sprint has had 4G-capable devices out for several months now, the country's two main technology centres have been starved of WiMax coverage. Sprint may fear the same backlash AT&T received when their network got hammered by the iPhone, so they must be hoping for a more positive reception.

The coverage itself will be provided in conjunction with Clearwire, who have been busy setting up their networks in preparation for these final deadlines.

18
Oct
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Hot in the heels of the incredible $100 Amazon deal on Sprint's flagship EVO 4G, we found ourselves looking at the same price tag on an even more expensive and more recent 4G device - the Samsung Epic 4G. Retailing for $249.99 at Sprint, the best deal we've seen on an Epic so far was $200 at both Amazon and Wirefly.

What we're looking at today is a brand new Epic 4G for $99.99 on a new 2-year contract, with free 2-day shipping and no tax. Amazon is also temporarily waiving the $36 activation fee until the end of today.

18
Oct
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Two-for-one on this post: Japanese carrier KDDI revealed this morning that they'll be selling a customized version of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab. On a similar tablet note, it looks like the Advent Vega will be joining the list of budget Android tablets that won't have the market. Turns out we've never covered the Vega either, so I'll provide a few extra details on it. Let's start with the Galaxy Tab: what's custom about it?

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First and most obviously, it comes with a slightly redesigned appearance - white edges (bumpers?) along the top and bottom, capacitive buttons that are rotated for landscape use (versus the normal portrait orientation), and a custom dock.

15
Oct
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We have good news and bad news for Samsung Galaxy S owners. The good: the Froyo update source code released a few days ago is now officially being rolled out by Samsung. The bad news: they're starting with the Nordic countries... then "gradually" moving across Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and everyone else.

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The word "gradually" isn't exactly encouraging, and neither is the fact that North America is towards the end of the list. Still, the news alone should be enough to brighten the day of a whole bunch of people.

[Source: Samsung via Engadget]

Full press release:

Samsung GALAXY S Offers New Android 2.2 Upgrade

New platform upgrade provides enhanced experience on the go

SEOUL, Korea – October 18, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co.

13
Oct
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This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers here:

Today, Samsung updated its open-source portal with what seems to be the final Android 2.2 source code for JPM Galaxy S i9000s. This might not mean much right now to those of you running carrier-branded Galaxy S phones (Captivate, Vibrant, Epic 4G, Fascinate), but it is a positive indication of things to come and may mean that the Froyo ROMs for your handsets will be showing up sooner rather than later.

13
Oct
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Who thinks strictly black and gray phones are gloomy and boring? I do and, thankfully, so does Best Buy. A few months ago, the retailer announced an exclusive white EVO 4G, and today we got word of not 1 but 2 more white Android phones arriving on October 24: Verizon's Samsung Fascinate and AT&T's slightly outdated Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. While the exact pricing on either of these is unknown, you can head over to Best Buy today and reserve the device of your dreams with a $50 deposit. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether other outlets will be receiving these handsets - all we have to work with is the picture below.

11
Oct
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Some interesting details about Verizon's Samsung tablet that is set to take on Apple's iPad monolith have recently come to light. Droid-Life's insiders have let them know of a possible November 1st release date for the Verizon version, to coincide with the European release. This differs from the previously rumoured release date of November 14th on Sprint, so, just like with the Galaxy S phones, we may see a staggered release schedule from the big four in America.

Droid-Life also got a chance to sneak a peek at a rough draft of the VZW Tab's user guide and noted several mentions of phone functionality and Google search.

11
Oct
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The first two of Sprint's latest three-phone, mid-range lineup are now arriving to various Sprint retailers, such as Best Buy, sprint.com, Wirefly.com, and others. While they aren't the powerhouses that we've gotten used to, the Sanyo Zio and the Samsung Transform are good introductory-level Android devices for people who want to dump their feature phones for smartphones without having to shell out the big bucks. They are joining the ranks of Sprint's other low-to-mid-range phones, such as the Samsung Intercept and the HTC Hero.

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Sanyo Zio

The Sanyo Zio offers a 3.2-inch touchscreen, mobile hotspot, and a 3.2MP camera with autofocus.

10
Oct
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A few days ago, a new version of Universal Androot was released with support for Froyo, but a number of devices were still incompatible.

09
Oct
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 Earlier this week, BGR leaked a likely $399 on-contract price tag for the Sprint's version of the upcoming Galaxy Tab. Today, TmoNews dug up some slides showing T-Mobile's version of the tablet coming with the same $399 price tag (on a 2-year contract of course), albeit after a $50 rebate. The version that will free you from the carrier's firm grip will make you part with an additional $250 and cost a whopping $649.99.

Galaxy Tab Vs The iPad

Comparing this to the iPad, where $499 buys you a comparable WiFi-only 16GB version and $629 gets you the WiFi+3G one, the Tab fits kind of in the middle.